The Hidden Agenda
by crais's-lady
Summary: Crais/Langtree Chronicles Part 4 - Stuck in Peacekeeper territory, Crais takes Morgan to his home & confronts someone from his past, someone who reveals an interesting secret about the Peacekeepers. FINISHED. Pls. R&R. Thanks.
1. Prologue

The Hidden Agenda

(A Farscape FanFic by Beth A. Carpenter)

Copyright 2001-2002 Beth A. Carpenter

Author's disclaimer: The characters of Farscape belong to Henson Productions.  I just borrowed them for a short time.

Authors note: Part four of what I have come to call "The Crais/Langtree Chronicles".  And no, it is **_NOT_** the final one.  As long as you keep asking for more, then you will get it!

Dedication:  This one is for my mom and dad, who showed me the power of books and the imagination from a very young age and of course for Crais' Cohorts, you guys are family.

* * * * * *   

Prologue

Crichton stared at the Peacekeeper command carrier floating just metras away.  "I can't believe this.  This is not happening."

"It's not Scorpius and they are transmitting a non-aggression message."  Aeryn looked at him.  "Crais and Morgan could be on that ship."

Crichton looked at his lover.  "Pigs could fly too."  He opened his mouth at her confused look to explain the saying, shutting it just as quickly when he realized it wouldn't do any good.  Instead he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

They had been keeping watch on the edges of Peacekeeper space for the better part of four months, with no sign or word from his cousin and Crais.  Talyn was getting restless and both Crichton and Aeryn were just getting plain fed up with the whole scenario, no one bothering them or paying any attention to the Leviathan gunship.

Until this morning.  

"Do you want me to have Talyn signal them back?" Aeryn asked.  She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder as she stared at the communications board.

"Might as well.  What do we have to lose?"

Talyn opened the comm channel.  "We're listening," Aeryn simply said.

The voice that came over the loudspeaker was familiar to the Sebacean woman.  "Greetings, Officer Sun, Commander Crichton.  I am requesting permission to come aboard."

Crichton and Aeryn exchanged glances.  "Shantar?" Crichton asked curiously.

"That's correct Commander.  Please, let me and a few of my associates come aboard and we will explain everything."  He paused.  "You are not in any danger."

They met Shantar's transport in Talyn's small landing bay.  Aeryn was armed to the hilt, a pulse rifle in her hands, a pistol at her hip.  Wynonna sat at Crichton's hip, waiting.  He didn't see any sense in drawing it until necessary.  The access ramp of the marauder lowered and Shantar strode down it, smiling.

"Crichton!"  The Sebacean held out his hand, taking Crichton's and shaking it.  He nodded to Aeryn.  

"Shantar, what the hezmona is going on?" she asked.

He smiled softly at her.  "I know where Crais and Morgan are."

Crichton waited.  "And?  You know this how?  What are doing with a command carrier?"  He looked at the other two men who had followed Shantar.  It was then he realized they were dressed in civilian clothing.

Shantar ran a hand through his hair.  "Look, there are a lot of things I need to talk to both of you about.  But right now, there's someone who wants to meet you."  He stepped back as another man walked off the shuttle.

He walked with an easy grace, a broad smile on his face as he stopped before them.  He was about as tall as Crichton, dark hair, dark eyes, vaguely familiar.  "You must be John Crichton.  I have heard quite a bit about you."  The man turned to Aeryn before Crichton could reply.  "Hello Officer Sun."

Aeryn's face had gone pasty white and she couldn't speak.

"Aeryn?  What's the matter?" Crichton asked seeing his lover's distress.

"John, just do whatever he asks," she said softly, her eyes locked with the other man's.

"Why?" he whispered.

Aeryn leaned closer to the human.  "Because he will know where they are."

Crichton looked at the stranger, then to Shantar.  "Alright.  I'm listening."

Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

          "Now!" Crais yelled, turning away from the Prowlers that had been his and Morgan's only transportation for a month.  He followed Morgan up the slope, his feet sliding in the mud as he scrambled to the top.  He reached it just as she hit the button, detonating the ships.  He lay on his back staring up through the trees as he slowed his breathing, the Prowlers crackling happily away in the deepest part of the wash.  "You had to pick this particular spot, didn't you?" he said, leaning up on one elbow.

          Morgan shrugged.  "You told me to find someplace safe.  You did not specify where."  She stood up, unsnapping the collar of her jacket as she shouldered her pack.  "I sincerely doubt Scorpius has given up."

          Crais stood up, shouldering his own pack.  "I concur.  We must keep moving.  It will be dark soon."  He headed down a trail through a dense forest, a tracker in his hand.  They walked silently, both wary, listening to the strange sounds of the woodlands.  Scorpius had been relentless in his pursuit of them, hounding them from one planet to another as they worked their way through Peacekeeper space.  Crais had finally determined that the scientist had been tracking the identities and clearances that had been provided.  It had been easy for him to get new ones, shaking Scorpius for the time being and increasing the Captain's unease.

          Morgan's first glimpse of Crais' home world had been from space and she was surprised to see a planet very similar to Earth.  She didn't know what to expect, but a planet like Earth was not it.  The physical similarities ended with the view from space due to the fact that the world her lover came from was mainly agricultural and rural.  Very few cities existed, the Sebaceans here preferring small villages.  She followed the ex-Peacekeeper down the trail, heading deeper into the forest.  The sun was rapidly setting and Crais picked up his pace.

          "We are not too far from the break line," he said softly, indicating a gap in the trees.  "We will have to be on our guard."  He turned and looked at her, scowling slightly as he reached out and snapped the collar of her jacket.  

          "This thing is choking me," Morgan simply stated.  At Crais' urging, she had donned the Peacekeeper Lieutenant's uniform and wished she hadn't.  "I thought the uniforms on Earth were uncomfortable."

          "It is necessary, Morgan."  He spun on one heel and headed for the break.  He was amazed that even after being gone for so long he still remembered the forest trails he and his brother used to play on.  Crais stopped after walking almost an hour and gazed over the small farming community below them.  The valley was verdant, stretching out as far as the eye could see, the fields planted and heavy with fruit, grain and vegetables.  He pulled the oculars from his pack, scanning the village.  Satisfied, he started down the ridge.

          "Bialar, this is beautiful," she said softly. 

          "It could become deadly.  Just remember that," he replied.  They moved down the road warily, Morgan dropping behind Crais as they began to encounter some of the villagers.  Whispered comments where passed along and soon the word that Peacekeepers were entering the village bypassed them, heralding their arrival.  "Remember our plan," he whispered.

          They entered the village as the sun set behind the forest ridge, children scurrying around them as if they were heroes home from some war.  Crais ignored them, continuing on towards the square.  Women and men looked out of doors and windows, staring at them, and it was all Morgan could do to keep her eyes straight ahead.  The glimpses of clothing that she caught from the corner of her eyes reminded her of things she had seen on Earth, the men's clothing Arabian in nature, with turbans and bright colors, the women's simple and practical, reminding her of gypsies with their white shirts and crinkly skirts.  She raised an eyebrow, trying to imagine her lover dressed that way.  A hush came over the village as Crais walked right up to the door to the home of the head of the village elders, pounding on it with his fist.

          The door opened slowly, an elderly man peering out at them.  His eyes widened as he recognized Crais and he nodded, a soft smile creasing his dark, wrinkly face.  He simply pointed and Crais turned, following the man's pointing finger.

          Morgan followed him, drawing close to him.  "What was that all about?"

          Crais glanced behind him.  "It is customary to let the village elders know when you have returned from a journey."  He glanced at her sideways.  "And since finding that reward beacon…I believe it is better for us to have as many allies as possible."

          Morgan nodded.  "So then if any other Peacekeepers show up…"

          Crais smiled at her.  "The elders will not turn us in.  My father is still a highly respected member of the village council."  He stopped at the gate to a large homestead, gazing over it in the dying light.  His heart clenched in his chest, the echoes of memories ringing in his ears.  He could hear Tauvo's laughter as they chased each other around the out buildings, the smell of his mother's cooking, his own squeals as his father twirled him around.  

          "Bialar?" Morgan whispered, laying her hand on his arm, breaking his reverie.

          "Stay alert, Morgan."  He pushed the gate open, waiting for Morgan and walked down the long drive to the house.

          Morgan gazed at it, studying the simple stone dwelling.  It was definitely two stories tall, a large patio spreading from it beneath a wide awning.  Everything was quiet.  "This is where you grew up?" Morgan asked quietly.

          Crais simply nodded.  "It seemed bigger then," he commented.  

          "Who's there?" a woman's voice called.

          Neither of them saw her as she came around the side of the house from the outbuilding.  She was a petite woman, somewhere in her sixties, if you went by human standards, with long black hair, tightly braided.  She held a cane in one hand and it took Morgan a moment to realize why.  She was blind.  "You never said anything about your mother being blind," she whispered, tilting her head to look up at him.

          Crais smiled softly as he gazed at the woman moving towards them.

          "I know someone is there.  I heard you talking," Mother snapped.  "Identify yourselves."

          Crais swallowed, approaching the woman.  She came up to his chest and he knelt down in front of her.  Morgan watched the expression on his face soften as he took the woman's hands.  "It's Bialar, Mother," he answered, his voice cracking with emotion.

          "Bialar?"  The woman reached out, taking his face in her hands, letting them run over the planes and angles of his features.  "Bialar.  My Bialar.  You have come home."

          He nodded as she cradled him against her.  "For now," he whispered.

          "Freeze, you frelling Peacekeeper trelk!" 

          Morgan didn't dare move, not with the heavy pulse rifle pressed into the small of her back.  A heavy hand fell to her shoulder, pushing her forward towards Crais and his mother.  "Bialar, a little help would be nice," she calmly commented.

          "Bialar?"  The man stopped and he spun Morgan around.  "Who are you?"

          Morgan found herself staring into a wall of masculine chest and she looked up into the scowl of a strange man she had seen before, a man she had seen in Crais' memories.  She looked at her lover, jerking her head towards the man.  "I take it this is dad," she said nervously.

          Crais moved away from his mother.  "Hello Father."

          Father stared down at him, lowering the pulse rifle.  "Bialar.  It is you."  He looked at him curiously, eyes narrowed slightly.  "Is Tauvo with you?"

          Crais and Morgan exchanged glances.  _This is it_, she thought, _the moment you've been dreading_. He turned back to his Father.  "Tauvo is dead.  Killed…in the line of duty."

          Father looked at Morgan, then back to Crais, his face growing dark with anger.  He shoved the pulse rifle into her hands, pushing her back and grabbing Crais by the collar of his jacket, lifting him off the patio floor, growling in the back of his throat.  "So then the Peacekeepers did not lie!  You were to protect him!  How could you let this happen?"  Father shook Crais like his was nothing more than a rag doll.  

          Morgan raised the pulse rifle at Father.  "I would greatly appreciate it if you would put him down," she remarked, afraid that Father would kill him.

          "You have not seen your son in thirty cycles.  Put him down and be civilized.  He is the only person who can tell us what happened," Mother demanded, laying her hand on Father's arm.  She looked towards Morgan's voice.  "Bialar, who is this young woman?"  She moved towards Morgan, reaching out, her hand brushing the upraised pulse rifle.  

          "She…is…my…wife," he managed to choke out.  "Father…please."

          Father looked at Morgan, who simply cocked her head, her eyebrows raised as she waited for the man to lower her lover.  "You are his wife?"  Morgan nodded.  "Peacekeeper's don't marry, Bialar," he growled.

          "Yeah, well, I'm not a Peacekeeper, thank you very much."  She raised the rifle a little higher.  "Now would you please put him down?"

          "If you are not a Peacekeeper, then what are you doing here dressed like one?" Father insisted.  He never let his grip waver on his son, still holding him.

          Morgan was getting annoyed.  She lifted the rifle vertically, her eyes narrowing.  Crais knew this was not good.  "Father…if…you…would…"

          "Shut up, Bialar!" Father snapped.

          "Put him the FRELL DOWN!" Morgan yelled, discharging the pulse rifle in the air.

          Father dropped Crais, the Captain backing away as he caught his breath.  The elder Crais stared at Morgan, watching as his eldest son moved over to her, his chin lifted in defiance. "What are you doing here?  Trying to get us killed?" he growled.

          "No.  We need a place to stay for a few days," Crais answered.  

          "You are wanted, Bialar.  Not only by the Peacekeepers." Father folded his arms, glaring down at them.

          Crais glared at him.  "So if Tauvo had been with me, then you would have given me a warmer welcome?  It would not have mattered that I am wanted?  That I was set up?" he retaliated, never raising his voice.

          Father's eyes narrowed.  "You have disgraced this family!"

          Crais stared at his father incredulously.  "Why?  Because the love I held for my brother overshadowed all of my training?" he asked softly, one eyebrow cocked in question.  

          Mother turned towards Crais, stepping up to her husband.  She knew this day was coming and interrupted.  "Were you followed?"

          Crais stared at his mother.  "We destroyed the Prowlers we arrived in," he answered.  "But I do not know if we were followed."

Father sighed, gently taking Mother's arm and leading her into the house.  He turned back to look at Crais and Morgan.  "Come."

          Crais looked at her, swallowing, unsnapping the collar of his own uniform jacket.  "That went well."  He placed his hand on the small of her back as he followed her into the house.

          "How do you figure?" Morgan asked, her mouth dry, her heart racing in her chest.  

          "I am still alive."     

          Morgan stepped out of the bathroom, the smells of home cooked food wafting through the house.  She heard Crais talking quietly to his mother in the kitchen and she padded down the hall in her bare feet.  Her hair was still wet from the shower and she French braided it to keep it out of her face.  She leaned in the doorway, in the only other change of clothes she had, Peacekeeper civvies.  At least Scorpius had given them that much.  

          "He is still bitter, Bialar, and he blames you."  Mother placed a platter on the table, steam rising off the meat.  "He did not want to believe it, but now…"

          "Now I confirmed it," Crais finished.  He sighed, stroking his goatee.

          Mother wiped her hands on the apron around her waist.  "It is very dangerous for all of us that you are here, but we will not turn you away. Give him time.  He will listen when the initial shock of you being home wears off, especially with a wife."  She reached out and took his hand, her fingers running up to his wrist.  She could feel the fresh marks of the tattoo that had been placed there only a week earlier.    "I see you went with the traditional markings," she commented.  She let go of his hand.

          Crais noticed Morgan standing in the doorway.  "Mother, there is something I need to tell you about my wife."

Morgan shook her head, raising her hands up and waving them, catching sight of the tattooed band around her own wrist.  She was not ready for his mother to know that she was not Sebacean.  She did not want him to regret the fact that they had married, even though he was the one who insisted on it.  Crais simply smiled at her, the smile he reserved only for her, motioning for her to come into the room.

Morgan shifted slightly and Mother turned towards her.  "Come here daughter, and let me see you."

          Morgan did as she asked, sitting in one of the chairs around the pristine white table.  Mother walked over to her, gently laying her hands on her face, 'seeing' the human woman.  "Do I pass muster?" she teased gently.

          Mother leaned back, laughing.  "Sassy aren't you?  Well, from what I have heard about my son, you need to be."  She laid a hand on Morgan's shoulder.  "Yes, you pass muster."  She tilted her head.  "What did you say her name was, Bialar?"

          "I didn't.  But it is Morgan.  Morgan Langtree Crais."  He looked at her, their eyes meeting.

          "Morgan.  And what color is your hair, Morgan?"

          "Brown."  She smiled at Crais, her cheeks flushing slightly.

          "And your eyes?"

          Crais stood up and poured her a drink, handing it to her.  "They are blue.  Bluer than the skies," he answered, watching the expression on his mother's face brighten.

          "What did you need to tell me about her?" Mother asked, laying a hand on Crais' cheek.

          They all looked up and fell silent as the door opened, Father stepping into the kitchen.  Mother moved away from Morgan, back to the food she was preparing.  He looked straight at Morgan.  "So, you are not a Peacekeeper.  Then what are you doing with my son?"

          Crais sighed, sitting back down in his chair.  "As I told you before, Father…"

          Father slammed his hands on the table, causing all but Crais to jump.  "I did not ask you.  I asked her."

          "Her has a name," Morgan snapped, standing up.  She looked at Father in challenge.

          "Oh, now you have done it," Crais mumbled to his father.  It was hard enough being in his childhood home after so long, let alone having his father and his wife squaring off when they hadn't even been there two arns.

          Father stood up straight, his head almost touching the ceiling.  "And that name would be?"

          "Morgan.  Morgan Langtree Crais.  I met your son a little over a cycle ago and we have been traveling together ever since."  She planted her hands on her hips.

          Father looked at his son.  "Is this true?"

          Crais simply nodded, hooking one arm over the back of the chair.

          Father noticed the tattoo and looked at his son.  He turned back to Morgan.  "And you are his wife?"  Mother dropped the pan she had been holding at Father's question.

          "Damn right."  Her eyes were flashing in annoyance.  "Does that bother you?"

          Father sat down in the chair across from Morgan.  He motioned for her to sit, but Morgan just shook her head and walked over to Mother, bending down to help the woman clean the mess.  He looked at Crais, grabbing his wrist, inspecting the marking.  "At least they didn't destroy everything we gave you.  You seem to still have your sense of tradition."  Father didn't see the look Morgan tossed Crais' way, her eyebrows raised.  "I…am happy to see you son," he finally admitted as Mother put the rest of the food on the table.  Father looked at Morgan, studying her as he ate.  "What are those?" he asked, pointing to Crais' transponder with his fork.  "I see you both have them."

          Crais put his glass down.  "They are cybernetic neural transponders."  He looked at his father, letting the Peacekeeper attitude that always surfaced when he was around people take over.  "They allow Morgan and I to…communicate with our ship."

          Mother lowered her fork, her head tilted slightly to the side as she gazed towards his voice.  "What type of ship, Bialar?"

          Crais exchanged a glance with Morgan.  "He is a hybrid Leviathan.  A gunship that is named Talyn."

          Father stared at Morgan.  "Did you help breed this ship?"

          "I met Morgan well after Talyn and I had been joined," Crais responded.  "She voluntarily joined with us."

          Mother turned to stare blindly in Morgan's direction.  "What planet are you from Morgan?"

          Morgan looked at Crais and then at his father, a wicked smile crossing her lips.  _Why not_, she thought, _he's already pissed at his son, let's add a little fuel to the fire and see just how much help we'll get.  Besides, he planned on telling Mother anyway_.  "I'm from a planet called Earth.  I followed my cousin John Crichton through a worm hole in an attempt to rescue him and I was saved by Bialar when my ship power downed and I passed out," she said sweetly.  

          Father stared at her.  "Then you are not Sebacean." It was a statement, not a question.  "You married an alien."  He glared at Crais.  "You better hope the Peacekeepers don't find you here," he growled, pushing away from the table.  He grabbed a jacket from a hook by the door.  "For I will not hide you."  Father shot Morgan a glance.  "Now that know what you have done to dishonor yourself."  Without a look back, Father stormed out of the house.

          Crais looked up, taking a deep breath.  "You don't know the half of it."  He gazed at Morgan and stood.  "Mother, I think it would be…best if Morgan and I remain in the village."

          Mother stood up and pointed at Crais.  "You will do no such thing.  This is my house as well and he will just have to get over it."  She turned away, shuffling out of the room.

          Morgan looked up at Crais.  "Don't ask me to apologize because I won't."

          Crais smiled softly at her.  "You have done nothing wrong."  He took her hand, drawing her away from the table and into his arms.  "I would have been disappointed if you had not defended yourself."  He leaned down, kissing her, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he pulled Morgan against him.  "My father will not chase me from my home," he whispered against her lips.

          Mother stood just outside the doorway and listened, wiping her eyes.  Her son was home, with a woman she could tell he loved by the tone of voice he used with her, and she was happy.  What could go wrong, she wondered.

          The village had an open market, filled with tantalizing scents and an assortment of stalls that caught ones eye; a place a person could get anything that could be transported in.  Since they needed clothes, Crais decided it would be best for them to leave the homestead early the next morning and they made their way up the road.  

          "How many days do you think it will take Scorpius to figure out where we are?" Morgan asked him as they walked.  She had gathered up a handful of rocks and was tossing them down the road as they went.

          Crais looked around, surveying the landscape.  "Two.  Possibly three."

          She stopped, staring at him.  "Give.  What's the matter with you?"  She turned slightly, pointing back at the house.  "You really think your father would turn us in?"

          Crais stopped and sighed.  "I will…admit that maybe coming here was not the wisest choice."

          Morgan approached him, pointing at him.  "You're beginning to scare me.  You mean you are actually admitting that you were…wrong?"

          His face grew hard and he pulled Morgan to the side of the road, pinning her against a tree.  "My prime concern at this time is keeping you safe and finding Talyn.  In case you have forgotten, you are still carrying the formula in your head."  Crais looked at her, teeth clenched.  "I thought…that maybe for one instant…that my father would listen and help.  I find that I was wrong," he hissed.  "Do not try me Morgan.  I am not a good mood."

          "Could have fooled me."  She grasped his jacket as he started to turn away, pulling him back against me.  "Hey, buddy, we are in this together.  So cut the Peacekeeper crap with me."

          Crais stared at her and then wryly chuckled.  "You a brave woman, Morgan."

          They started back down the road.  "No, just slightly insane."  She could smell the food from the market and her stomach growled.  "What's our next move?"

          Crais studied her profile.  "Can you modify the transponders so that we can monitor any long range frequencies Talyn would be most likely to use?"

          "I could try."  

          They continued into the village market, forgetting about the Peacekeepers and Scorpius, if only for a little while as they found clothing and other interesting items for sale or barter.  The one thing they didn't notice was that they were being watched.

          The stranger turned away as he lost them in the crowd, moving quickly into a refreshment house across the way.  He moved through the back corridor and slid his hand over the panel.  The wall slid up and he disappeared down a flight of steps that led deep into the ground.  He stepped into a conference room and waited.

          The man behind the desk turned and looked at him.  "Well?"

          "It is definitely them, Commander.  Captain Crais and the human woman Morgan Langtree."

          The Commander nodded, his brown eyes glinting in the light.  From a door not far from his desk a man appeared.  He looked at the first man.  "You are dismissed."  The two men waited until the informant left, the door closing behind him.  "Well, Shantar, see if you can convince them to come and speak with me."

          Shantar leaned on the desk.  "Are you sure this will work?  I mean convincing Crichton and Aeryn to help us was hard enough.  You know as well as I do that Crais is as stubborn as a mule."

          "I am hoping his new wife will help with that," the Commander replied, looking up at Shantar.  

          Shantar laughed.  "You are deluding yourself.  She's actually worse than Bialar."  He shook his head as he exited the room.  "Crais knows that I bear him no ill will.  I'll talk to them and then arrange a meeting."  Shantar turned and continued on his way.

          The Commander tapped his thumb against his lips.  "A very interesting meeting."

          He saw the retrieval squad as soon as he spotted Morgan.  Shantar slipped up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.  "Hello Morgan.  Don't move."

          Morgan recognized Shantar's voice.  "What are you doing here?" she whispered.  "And why can't I move?"  She saw them out of the corner of her eye.  Five Peacekeepers moved past the stall she was standing at, slipping down an alley towards another part of the bazaar.   "Never mind."

          Shantar let her go, turning her to face him.  "They landed about an arn after you and Crais did."  He looked over the sea of people in the bazaar.  "Where is Bialar?"

          "Right here," Crais answered, his pulse pistol in the small of Shantar's back.  "What are you doing here, Shantar?" he asked quietly.

          Shantar turned and looked at Crais.  "Looking for the two of you."

          "Really?"  Crais holstered the pulse pistol.  "Why?"

          Shantar heard the stomp-stomp of boots.  "This is not the place to discuss this."  He took Morgan's arm, pulling her the opposite direction of the Peacekeepers, Crais right behind them.  The three of them quickly entered the refreshment house.  Shantar never said a word as he ushered them into the hidden corridor and down the stairs into the secret complex.

          "Shantar, what is going on?" Crais asked uneasily.  He could not explain the sudden gnawing at his gut and wondered if this sensation was what Morgan and Crichton referred to as rattlers.

          The ex-Peacekeeper stopped in the corridor and looked at them.  "Do you remember me saying I had a proposition for you, but we never had the opportunity to discuss it due to Torsin's arrival?"

          Crais' face darkened, his eyes narrowing.  "Yes."

          "Well, I've been tracking your whereabouts since you left Zorosa 3."  He tilted his head, gazing at Crais who had taken a defensive stance.

          "Why?" Morgan asked.

          Shantar swallowed.  "I have been working a group of individuals who are trying to wrong a right."

"What does this have to do with Morgan and I?" Crais snapped.  His patience was wearing thin.

"Just come with me and listen.  The leader of our organization wants to speak with you."  Shantar started up the corridor, stopping and looking at them when they didn't follow.  "Bialar, I'm not going to turn you in.  I've had my chances.  And if I were to report you to the Peacekeepers now, everything we have worked for will be lost."

Crais raised his eyebrows and slowly followed the older man.  Shantar opened the door at the end of the corridor and Crais stopped, his face draining of all color.

"Crais?"  Morgan looked at him.  "What's the matter?"

Crais shook his head, tilting it as he listened.  There was a man speaking in that room and he knew that voice.  Knew it only too well.  He started walking again, entering the room, Morgan behind him.

The room was decorated in bright reddish wood, a huge command console desk taking up the center of the room.  Shantar stood to one side of a large chair behind the desk, it's back to them.  He nodded towards Crais and Morgan and the chair turned, the man standing to look at Crais and Morgan.

"No," Crais hissed softly.

The man smiled.  His was dressed in civilian clothing, but the rank of Commander was clearly marked on his shirt.  

Morgan stared at her husband, then back to the man.  "Oh my god," she whispered.

The man moved around the desk, clasping his hands on Crais' shoulders.  "I see Captains' bars still suit you, my brother, although I know it is a different type of ship you are the Captain of."

Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

          "You are dead," Crais simply snarled.  He threw his arms up, breaking free of his brother's grasp, slowly walking around Tauvo, looking at him, his breath laboring as he tried to catch it.

          Tauvo smiled sadly, shaking his head.  "Fortunately I am very much alive."  He looked at Crais as he stopped in front of him.  "Bialar…" He opened his hands beseechingly.

          Crais stared at Tauvo, his chin lifting, eyes narrowing as he turned his head slightly, studying the man in front of him.  He could easily be a fraud, sent by the Peacekeepers to lure him into a deadly trap.  But that didn't explain Shantar's presence.  "You…are an imposter."

          Tauvo shook his head, folding his arms.  "Tell me, then, brother, how I would know the last thing you said to me that day was to make sure Officer Sun returned to the carrier.  Or the fact that I know you disobeyed the Council's directives on more than one occasion in pursuit of the many traitors you brought in?"  Tauvo took a step towards him, lowering his voice.  "Or that father made you swear to protect me?"

          Crais laughed, moving away from Tauvo.  He glanced at Morgan, who was leaning against the desk, simply watching.  He returned his gaze to Tauvo.  "Those memories could have easily been programmed into your mind by Scorpius, since he ripped them from mine!" Crais yelled, pointing to his head.  He lashed out at Tauvo, taking him across the chin with his right fist, sending him flying across the room.

          Morgan began to stand, but was staid by Shantar's hand.  "Let it go.  Tauvo knew this would be difficult for Bialar."

          Crais slammed his brother against the wall, holding him there, panting in fury.  "I saw your Prowler destroyed!  I SAW IT CLIP CRICHTON'S SHIP AND SLAM INTO THE ASTEROID, DISINTEGRATING!"

          Tauvo looked at Crais.  "It was my Prowler.  But I wasn't in it."  He grabbed a hold of Crais' left wrist, pinching it just under the fleshy part of his palm near the thumb.  The Captain's hand immediately went numb and he released Tauvo, rubbing his hand as he stared wide-eyed at him, backing away.  "Only your own brother would know about that," Tauvo commented, pointing towards Crais' hand.  "You hurt your hand when you fell from the barn loft.  You discovered how numb it went when we were wrestling one afternoon and I squeezed your hand."  His eyes pleaded.  "You swore me to secrecy."

          Crais turned his head momentarily, then looked back at him.  "Why?  Was our life so bad?"  He pointed at Tauvo.  "Was I that bad at commanding that you couldn't bear serving under me?  Were you jealous because I rose higher in the ranks than you?  What?  What was it?"

          Tauvo stepped towards Crais, reaching out, only to have his hand slapped away.  "Bialar, you have always sold yourself short.  If you would calm down for a few microts and let me explain, it will make sense."

          Crais laughed at Tauvo, shaking his head.  "You want me to calm down.  I have been on the run for four cycles, Tauvo, because of you!  And now I find out it was all for nothing?"

          Morgan stepped up to Crais, laying a hand on his shoulder.  "Crais, maybe we better just leave," she said softly.  "We can come back…when you've settled down."

          Crais shook his head.  "No.  I want an explanation and I want it now!" he screamed.  He was shaking with outrage, his mind racing over the events as he stared at Tauvo.  He knew it was no imposter standing before him, knew that it was truly his own flesh and blood a few feet away, staring at him with the same dark eyes as his own.  Crais was torn between beating him to a bloody pulp and breaking down in tears.  He let his training take over, forcing himself to calm down.  There was too much at stake not to listen.

          Tauvo moved around the console, sitting down patiently in the chair.  He looked up at Shantar.  "Maybe you and Morgan should leave."

          Crais whirled on him, slamming his hands on the desk and leaning forward.  "Morgan stays.  She is as much a part of this now than you will ever know," he growled.

          Tauvo nodded in acquiescence.  "If that is your wish, brother."  He looked up at Shantar.  "Maybe you should get the others.  I'm sure their reaction to this confrontation will be interesting."

          "What others?" Morgan asked, laying a hand on Crais' back.

          Tauvo studied them, taking in his brother's wife.  She was nothing at all what he expected; yet he could see that she made a good match for Bialar.  The door opened and he folded his hands across his stomach as he leaned back in the chair, watching, waiting.

          Crais looked towards the door and stood up straight as his eyes and Crichton's locked.  "Crichton."

          "Hey Crais," Crichton replied, his face serious as he walked into the room, Aeryn behind him.  He walked over to Morgan, hugging her.  "I'm glad to see you're alright."

          Morgan nodded as Aeryn walked over to her.  "Yeah, I'm fine."  The two women stepped back as Crichton approached Crais.

          "You had no idea, did you?" Crichton said softly, tilting his head as he looked at Crais.

          Crais glared at the human.  "More Peacekeeper lies," he answered.  "Where is Talyn?"

          Tauvo leaned forward.  "Your ship is safe.  His signal to the transponders is being blocked for obvious reasons."  He waited until Crichton moved back towards Aeryn, Morgan gravitating towards her husband.  His eyes locked with Crais'.  "Yes, you saw my Prowler destroyed.  But, as I said before, I was not in it."  He stood up, toggling a switch on the desk, bringing up a video feed of the incident.  "I never left the carrier until you found Commander Crichton and Officer Sun a few days later planet side."

          "Who was flying the Prowler?" Morgan asked, watching the video feed.  She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, watching as Crais paced, hands behind his back, listening, absorbing the information.

          "One of the escaped prisoners."

          Tauvo's comment caused Crais to look up.  "What do you mean?"

          "Let me explain this from the beginning."  He held up his hand to silence his older sibling, shaking his head.  "One of the technicians on board the carrier, Gilina, discovered a discrepancy in one of the prisoners records."  He looked down at the information on his desk, not noticing the look that passed between Crichton and Crais.  "The Luxan, Ka D'Argo, was accused of murdering his wife.  Gilina found information buried in the record that cleared him of the charges, and yet, he was still imprisoned."  He looked up.  "She mentioned it to Lt. Teeg, who inspected the record."

          "Without my authorization," Crais added.

          Tauvo stared at him.  "Of course."  He took a breath and continued.  "They researched the other records, finding the same thing in all of them, with one exception, the Hynerian."

          "Rygel," the others said simultaneously.

          Tauvo nodded as he took his seat.  "When they dug even further, they found evidence of a conspiracy growing among the Peacekeepers.  A conspiracy that would've forced every Peacekeeper controlled world and protected territory to completely devote their population of five cycles and younger to the ranks, thereby assuring the growth of the Peacekeepers as a whole."

          Crais stopped pacing and looked at him.  "This is not uncommon, Tauvo."

          "No, but what else they found is."  He stood up again, walking around his desk to lean on it.  "Teeg discovered records that had supposedly been destroyed, files that outlined the original Peacekeeper mandates and charters that had never been enforced.  The current ruling Council his been in power for far longer than any of us have been alive and they were the ones who tried to make sure these records were never found."  He crossed his arms.  "The Peacekeepers now are nothing more than a bunch of militaristic bullies, but the Peacekeepers going back before our grandfathers time were different.  They were the guardians of the colonized worlds, used only in time of need."

          Crichton looked up at Tauvo.  "I'm a little confused here.  How do you know these mandates weren't forged?"

          Tauvo gazed at the human.  "The signatures on the mandates were validated.  They were signed into action by the great-grandfather of the now current head of the Council when he first assumed the position.  The position is passed down from generation to generation.  It is the only part of the Peacekeeper's that shows any form of favoritism."

          "Borin Tadace is currently the council head," Aeryn remarked.  

          "Yes."  He turned and picked up a data chip, handing it to Crais.  "The mandates are on there.  Read them.  You'll understand."  Crais looked at the chip, pocketing it in his jacket.

          Morgan pondered the scenario, knowing that Sebaceans had longer life spans than humans.  "So then what does this have to do with you faking your own death?" she asked, scratching the back of her neck.  Her sleeve slipped down her arm and she didn't see the look on Aeryn's face when the woman noticed the bonding tattoo.

          "Teeg knew I was restless, as you did," Tauvo continued, nodding towards Crais.  "She had learned of a faction of Peacekeepers led by Tadace who were wanting to break away and return to the old ways, which would've allowed for families and other liberties we were not entitled to.  We developed a plan to get me off the carrier so that I could join them."  He looked at his brother.  "The prisoner offered to fly in my place.  He was about to be terminated anyway.  Crichton's untimely arrival made my death that much more convincing."  Tauvo looked at the human.  "Although, I do apologize for the hezmona my brother put you through."  He smiled at Morgan as he went on.  "I met up with Tadace's faction and we have been working to slowly to eradicate those that oppose the reinstatement of the correct Peacekeeper mandates, slowly taking out the staunchest opponents.  Most of our group is made up of people like Shantar and myself, some of them wanting no more than to settle down and leave the military."

          Crais rubbed the bridge of his nose.  "Why did you not tell me?" he asked, motioning with his hand.

          "What would you have done?"  He laid his hand on his brother's shoulder.  "Brother, you were climbing the ranks of command.  I wanted to tell you, but you would've been forced to do your duty, which you always did, with unerring skill and tenacity.  You would have killed me as a traitor, the only grace being that I would have at least died at your hand."  His eyes met Crais'.  "Believe me, it was better this way."

          Crais' eyes grew hard and cold.  "Was it?"  He turned on one heel and marched out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

          Morgan walked through the house looking for Crais.  She had felt him get out of bed, assuming he was going to relieve himself.  When he didn't return after ten minutes, she knew something was wrong.  She heard the distinct tap-tap of a keyboard coming from Father's study and she slowly opened the door.  Crichton and Aeryn had stayed at the complex with Tauvo and Shantar and Morgan agreed to meet them there the next day, following Crais from the room shortly after he stormed out. She watched him now, sitting at the console, his face washed in the pale monitor lights as he read the files contained on the chip.

          Crais knew Morgan was there, but he ignored her, his mind piecing together things that had happened throughout his career as a Peacekeeper.  It was no wonder Teeg had been so loyal to him.  He assumed she had been planning on telling him.  Crais rubbed his eyes in resignation.  The last four cycles had been nothing but another lie.  And everything he had put Crichton through…Crais stopped the thought before it could take hold.  He switched the monitor off, leaning back in the chair, gazing in the dark.  "I had no right to blame Tauvo," he commented softly.  "It was my own ruthless need for revenge that did this."

          "Did what?"  Morgan walked into the room, closing the door behind her.  "Bialar, you had no idea Tauvo was still alive.  You couldn't have.  And you can't honestly tell me that you still wouldn't have chased my cousin across the Uncharted Territories if you had known."  She moved towards him, using the desk as a guide.  "And, more than likely, Scorpius would've still deemed you irreversibly contaminated for it," she added softly.

          Crais turned towards her voice, thankful for the dark.  He clenched tightly to the arms of the chair, his knuckles white.   "I have gone over every possible option I could've taken, Morgan.  And now…" he shook his head.  "With the files on this chip, I am beginning to understand why some things did not seem…right, even though I could not verbally question them."

          Morgan reached out, finding one of his hands in the dark.  "What do think Tauvo wants?" 

          Crais pulled her into his arms, laying his head on her chest, trying to let the anger over his brother's deception dissipate as he held her.  "I do not know.  And I am deeply concerned over the fact that he convinced Crichton and Aeryn to trust him."

          Morgan stroked his hair, leaning her cheek on his head.  "He must have had something they wanted bad enough to take the chance."  She leaned down and looked at him.  "Shantar's been following us, so maybe that's what Tauvo used as leverage."

          Crais gazed up at her, her face a pale shadow in the dim light that filtered under the door into the room.  "Still, I would not easily trust the brother of a man who had vowed to kill me," he remarked, a trace of lightness in his voice.  He snaked one hand from around her waist up her back, laying it just above the transponder and pulling her head towards him.  "No matter…what he may have…to offer," he added, kissing Morgan gently.  

She responded willingly to his kiss, wanting nothing more than to drag him back up to bed.  But there was too much on both of their minds.  The kiss was cut short when then monitor flicked back to life.  "What's going on?"

Crais wrapped his arm around her waist as he leaned forward, holding her against him.  "A little research.  I used an old pass code to access the Peacekeeper records and sent an encrypted message to Borin Tadace.  Tauvo and I trained under him and he became a trusted ally."

Morgan stared at the screen.  Her neural link had given her the advantage of being able to read the Sebacean language.  "You're checking out Tauvo's story."

Crais nodded, eyes narrowing slightly as he read the reply.  "It seems my brother was not lying after all."  He looked up at Morgan.  "Tadace wants our help as well, if we are willing."

Morgan shook her head.  "With what?  He doesn't exactly spell it out here."

"No."  Crais deleted the message, making sure there was no trace of it anywhere on the system.  "We will have to find out from Tauvo."

Morgan stifled a yawn.  "We are supposed to meet with him in the morning," she said.

Crais turned the monitor off.  "Good.  I do not want to remain here any longer than necessary.  Scorpius will be picking up our trail again before long and I do not wish to put my parents in any more danger than necessary."  He set her on her feet, taking her hand and leading her from the study.  "In the meantime, there is no reason why I can not take my lovely wife back up to bed," he growled softly, pulling her against him.

"You like the sound of that, don't you," Morgan replied as Crais kissed her neck.

"Yes.  It is not something I ever thought I would be allowed to experience."  He led Morgan back up the stairs to their bedroom, closing the door and stifling Morgan's giggle with a kiss.

Father opened the door to his bedroom as soon as he was sure they were occupied and made his way down to the study.  He turned on the monitor, retrieving the deleted message from a secret file and sighed.  Father wondered how long it would take his eldest son to figure out that he knew Tauvo was still alive.

Aeryn lay next to Crichton, staring at the ceiling.  The hidden complex was quiet, the rooms Tauvo assigned them spacious, yet filled with only the needed necessities.  She listened to his breathing, regular and even in sleep.  Aeryn shifted in the bed, crooking her arm beneath her head and the pillow.  She still could not believe Tauvo was alive, and, after watching the confrontation between her former superior and his brother on the monitor in the room behind Tauvo's office, Aeryn knew that Crais had been as shocked as she.  She could not imagine what the Captain was going through.

Crichton watched her through half-shut eyes, curious what she thinking about.  He noticed the furrow that appeared between her eyebrows and rolled towards her, lying on his side as he propped his head on his hand.  He laid his other hand on her stomach, her skin warm beneath his palm.  "Whatcha thinking about, babe?" he questioned softly.

Aeryn turned her heads towards him, gazing at him in the faint light.  She rolled, matching his position, their eyes locking.  "Did you notice anything unusual about Crais and Morgan?"

Crichton shrugged.  "No, other than they both looked exhausted."  He paused a moment.  "That and Morgan got a new tattoo."  He smiled in remembrance.  "I'll never forget how jacked Uncle Allan was when he saw the dragon on her back for the first time.  He hit the roof, Dad trying to…"

"It's a bonding tattoo, John," Aeryn interrupted, her face serious.

Crichton stared at her with a confused look.  "A bonding tattoo?  What…Scorpius sell them into slavery or something?"  He sat up, his mind running through situations they may have been involved in over the last four months.  "You know, that could explain how Tauvo found them," he remarked, tilting his head.

Aeryn ran her nails down his freckled back.  "Not that kind of bonding, John."  Crichton looked at her.  "I suspect that if you were to look at Crais' wrist, you'd find a matching one."  Her eyes sparkled.

Crichton turned away abruptly.  "You mean their…no," he squeaked, dismissing the possibility.  He turned back to Aeryn.  "You mean Crais and Morgan are married?"  His voice rose an octave on the word 'married'.  He stood up and began to pace.

Aeryn watched him, a smile playing at her lips.  "Marriage among Sebaceans is an extremely serious thing, John."

"Uh, it's pretty serious on Earth too, Aeryn," he interjected, stopping his pacing to plop belly first on the bed.

She shook her head, canting it to peer at him.  "Do humans only take one mate in their entire lifetime?"

Crichton looked up at her.  "Well, no, not necessarily."

She let the soft smile appear on her lips.  "Sebaceans do.  That's one reason why Peacekeepers are forbidden to marry."  Aeryn leaned over and kissed the top of his head.

"It was probably Morgan's idea," he accused.  "She probably forced him into it."

Aeryn laughed as Crichton rolled over and she quickly straddled him, her body shaking with mirth at the crestfallen look on his face.  She tossed her hair over her shoulder.  "You know as well as I do that Crais cannot be forced into anything."  She ran her hands down his chest.  Her eyes met his.  "If I am right, then Crais truly loves your cousin."

Crichton pulled his pillow over his head.  "Just frelling wonderful," he grumbled.  "I can't kill him now."

Aeryn lifted the pillow, peeking underneath it.  "Why?" she asked curiously.

Crichton gazed at her.  "He's family.  I have strict rules about killing members of my family."

Crais walked through the dark refreshment house, looking behind him to make sure he had not been followed.  He had left Morgan asleep, her face peaceful for the first time since before they had left Earth.  He had convinced himself that he had to do this alone.  He wanted nothing more than to bring the human woman who had changed his life with him, but Crais wanted to speak with Tauvo in private.

He walked quietly down the hidden passage, the door to his brother's office open at the far end.  As he drew near, he noticed Tauvo's dark head bent over something on the desk and Crais stopped, studying his younger brother as he stood in the doorway.  "We were never truly part of them, were we, brother?" he softly commented.

Tauvo looked up in surprise.  "I didn't expect to see you for a few more arns," he replied.  He tilted his head to look behind Crais.  "Where's Morgan?  You still have not formerly introduced me to my new sister."

Crais smiled.  "She is still asleep."  He moved into the room, sitting down in a chair across from Tauvo, pulling up one ankle to rest on his knee.  "I wanted to speak with you alone."

The younger sibling stood up, moving to a side console and pouring out two mugs of ramake, a hot drink native to their home planet.  He handed one to Crais.  "And you are right, Bialar.  We never were truly part of the Peacekeepers.  I more so than you."  He took the chair next to Crais, turning in it to face him.  "I apologize for the deception.  I had never expected that your reaction would be such that it was."

Crais sipped at the drink, lowering the mug, staring at the red liquid inside.  He waved on hand as he looked up.  "It is a moot point, Tauvo.  My experience with Crichton has made me realize that there is more to our existence than seeking revenge."

Tauvo stared at him silently, a flicker of hope sparking in his body.  "Four cycles ago those words would have never passed your lips."

Crais' expression hardened and he set the mug aside.  He leaned towards his brother.  "Four cycles ago I would have killed you for what you had done."  He stood and began pacing, hands clasped behind his back.  Tauvo watched him, waiting.  "Just because I am no longer a Peacekeeper does not mean that I have totally abandoned all of my training."  He turned on the ball of one foot, contemplating Tauvo.  "I can still be ruthless in my pursuits when the need arises."

Tauvo nodded.  "Good.  That is exactly why Tadace and I both agree that you are the perfect candidate to lead a very important and dangerous mission."

Crais' eyebrows rose.  "And what is that mission?"

The comm on the desk chirped, Tauvo leaning forward to see what the problem was.  He stood up.  "I am needed elsewhere, Bialar."  He started towards the door, stopping before disappearing through it.  "Come back with Morgan in a few arns.  She is essential to this as well."  Tauvo stepped through, the door sealing behind him, leaving Crais staring at it in curiosity and concern.

Morgan stood in the barn loft gazing out over Father's lands.  She had barely seen the big man, wondering if he was avoiding her and Crais.  Mother was amiable enough, and she enjoyed the stories Morgan told her about the adventures she had experienced with her oldest son.  But now, the melancholy was beginning to set in.  She was getting restless.  Morgan watched the strange foliage sway in the breeze as it rustled her hair and the loose blouse she wore tucked into her pants.  She had donned the Sebacean clothing, thankful to be out of the Peacekeeper uniform.  She leaned her hand on the window opening, her eyes locking on the tattoo.  Morgan slowly ran her finger around her wrist, her mind wandering back……

_"I need to ask you something," Crais started without preamble as he walked into the room.  They were laid over on a busy commerce planet, preparing to leave before Scorpius' retrieval squad could catch up with them._

_Morgan looked up at him as she shrugged her jacket on.  "Fire away," she said, pulling her hair back.  She gazed at him curiously, wondering what was making her usually stoic lover so edgy.  "Bialar, what's the matter?"_

_Crais stepped up to her, reaching out to adjust the uniform jacket across her shoulders.  They had been on the run for three monens, spending more time in the Prowlers than anywhere else.  "I have not come to this…decision lightly."  His dark eyes locked with hers._

_Morgan felt her stomach drop.  She wondered where this was going.  "What decision?" she whispered hesitantly._

_Crais laid his hands gently on Morgan's shoulders.  "Morgan, I want you to …go through the Sebacean bonding ceremony with me," he answered, his voice soft and husky as he smiled at her._

_She stared at him, her heart racing in her chest.  "Are you…are you asking me what I think you are?"_

_Crais raised an eyebrow.  "I am asking you to become my wife."_

_Morgan bit her lower lip.  "You want me to marry you."_

_"Yes," he answered, tilting his head towards her in slight annoyance._

_Morgan stepped away from him, walking over to the huge panoramic window that looked over the city.  "Crais, there is something you should know."  She turned and looked at him.  He stood there waiting, hands behind his back, his face calm.  "Bialar, I can't have children," she blurted out, sighing.  She had been keeping that little secret ever since she had arrived in the Uncharted Territories._

_Crais stepped towards her, not knowing what to say.  He would've eventually enjoyed having offspring, but it was not his main concern.  "That does not change how I feel about you Morgan."  He wrinkled his forehead in thought.  "And our lifestyle is not very conducive to children."_

_She looked up at him in surprise.  "It doesn't bother you?"_

_He reached out and stroked her cheek.  "No."_

_Morgan relaxed, letting out a breath.  "Then yes, I'll marry you."_

A sound behind her made her turn and she started towards the ladder. 

"Morgan?" Crais called.  He peered in the darkness, looking for her.

"I'm coming!" She slid down the ladder, turning and stopping at the sight of Crais.  He had shucked his own uniform, opting to dress in the civilian clothing of his home planet, the greens and gold of his tunic just adding to his dark mystique.  "Check you out," she said softly, one hand on her hip.

Crais rewarded her with a smile.  "I thought it would be wise to be less conspicuous while we are here.  I see you concur with me."

She slipped into his arms, laying her head on his chest.  "You'll have to bring this with you when we leave," she remarked, tracing the weave of the fabric with her finger.

He nodded, kissing the top of her head.  "Come.  Tauvo has a mission he would like us to consider."

"The one Tadace talked about in his message?"  He nodded.  Morgan released Crais and fell into step with him as they made their way across the yard.  "Dangerous I suppose."

"Oh…most assuredly," he answered grimly.

Tauvo and Shantar walked into the conference room, gazing over the three occupants already seated around the table.  He noticed his brother standing at the huge monitor that was displaying the image of an impressive Gammack base.  The look on Morgan's face was stormy and Crichton's red.  The Commander raised an eyebrow in consideration, suspecting the two humans had been arguing.  Aeryn had her head propped on her arms.  Tauvo laid a handful of data chips on the table before them.

Crais turned to his brother.  "This base obviously has a significance," he calmly remarked.  He knew exactly where the base was located and the dangers that surrounded it.

Tauvo nodded.  "It is part of the mission we discussed earlier."  He looked at the others.  "A militant faction is currently heading the Peacekeepers, that much we know.  What most do not know is that anyone found resisting them or engaging in unsanctioned activities is either killed or imprisoned."

Aeryn's head came up.  "After being deemed irreversibly contaminated?" she simply asked, her eyes meeting Crais'

"Among other things," Shantar answered.

"Key members of the resistance have been imprisoned on this base, just outside Peacekeeper territory."  He slipped a data chip into the slot on the table, lowering the lights with a wave of his hand as a three dimensional image of two men and one woman sprang to life.  "The woman is Tara Korin, a high-ranking member of the Council and Tadace's right hand.  At least she was until she was caught manipulating files.  The two men, Jorin Tadace, Borin's nephew, and Lorac Mane, a Lieutenant, were caught smuggling arms to the resistance."  He pulled the data chip, the lights instantly coming up.

"Your assignment, Mr. Phelps, if you choose to accept it," Crichton mumbled.  Morgan looked at her cousin, chuckling.

Tauvo turned to his brother for explanation.  Crais simply shook his head.  "What are you proposing?"

Shantar sat down.  "We need a small team to infiltrate the base and break them out."

"This is where you come in," Tauvo continued, looking at Crais.  "All of you, with the exception of Morgan, have been to a Gammack base.  You have a unique knowledge of the layout. And you, brother, have the highest rank of anyone outside of the Peacekeepers that can get in and out of there.  These three people have important information about the resistance that cannot get into the wrong hands."

Morgan leaned back in the chair.  "In other words, you want us to join the movement and be the team."

"Precisely."  Tauvo sat down.  "The planet of Zorosa 3 is our main base of operations."

Crais stroked his goatee.  It would be dangerous, sneaking onto a Gammack base and back off without High Command realizing who they were or what was going on.  He also had to consider the wormhole formula that was still floating around in both his and Morgan's head, let alone in Crichton's.  "We would be bringing the prisoners to Zorosa 3?"

Tauvo nodded.  "Talyn is considerably faster than any of my ships."  He looked at Crichton and Aeryn.  "Officer Sun and Commander Crichton have already agreed to help."  Crichton smiled that infuriating smile of his.  

She turned to Tauvo.  "Count me in."

Crais and Tauvo squared off.  "It's your call, brother," Tauvo whispered.  "Your chance to lead again and right the wrong that has been done to you."

Crais looked at the others, people he had come to care about.  They all stared back at him, waiting.  "When do we leave?" he simply asked, looking his brother straight in the eye with an almost eager gleam.

Tauvo took his brother's hand, clasping his arm.  "In the morning."


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Father swung the bale of beozar up and over the stall door, bending down to lift another of the heavy grain. It normally would've required two men to lift the bales, but Father was able to do it alone. He turned for another bale, stopping, standing from his bent position to gaze at Crais. "Bialar."  
  
Crais walked towards him, noticing for the first time the silver strands through his father's hair. "Morgan and I will be leaving in the morning," he announced, leaning a hand against the barns support post. The dying light filtered into the barn as Father returned to the task of setting up the beozar bales. "As much as she likes it here, Morgan is getting restless to find Talyn."  
  
Father heaved the bale over the door. "And begin your mission for the resistance." He turned and looked at his son and the shocked expression that was plastered on Crais' face.  
  
"You know?" Crais stammered. "You know about the resistance?"  
  
Father took a deep breath. "How else do you think your brother found you so easily?" He watched as Crais' face grew dark with outrage, his hands clenching into fists at his side.  
  
"You…threatened me…for no good reason," Crais hissed, trying to control his anger.  
  
Father snorted, clasping Crais' shoulder in his hand tightly. "The cause was just, Bialar. We had to know where your loyalties truly laid and whether or not you knew the truth about Tauvo."  
  
Before Crais could reply, Tauvo walked in from the opposite end of the barn. "If you wish to lay your anger on someone, Bialar, then lay it on me. Father only did as I asked."  
  
Crais marched towards his brother, pointing back at Father. "You brought our parents into this? Endangering them as well?" His voice was getting louder.  
  
"Do not accuse him, Bialar. Mother and I agreed to help." Father stared at his two sons as Crais turned to look at him, viewing them standing side by side for the first time as grown men. He sat down on the beozar bales that still needed stacking, rubbing his eyes. "Our family was torn apart by the Peacekeepers and we want nothing more than to see those responsible for corrupting our two sons pay for what they have done." He wiped his arm across his forehead, dropping it tiredly into his lap. "Bialar, you were a Captain. You are currently the highest ranking officer to be condemned by the Peacekeepers that is still living."  
  
Tauvo moved past his brother to stand behind Father. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear earlier, but you will also be the highest ranking officer within the resistance." He sighed. "We will understand if you do not want to do this."  
  
Crais glowered at both of them. "I have already committed to helping you, Tauvo, but I do not like being lied to or deceived, especially by members of my own family." He paused, his anger dissipating slightly. "Although I concede that your deception was necessary." He walked slowly towards Tauvo until only denches separated the two brothers. "But, so help me, if you ever lie to me again, I will kill you." Crais turned and marched out, leaving Tauvo and Father alone in the barn.  
  
  
  
Tauvo and Crichton found Crais leaning against a fence that surrounded the courtyard, watching Morgan as she played with two Sebacean children, the son and daughter of Father's foreman. Her laughter drifted back to them as she fell in the soft grass, the children clambering all over her.  
  
Crais watched, his eyes filled with sadness, his jaw locked, a vein twitching in his cheek the only outward sign of his feelings. His heart was tight in his chest. "I have never heard her laugh like that," he simply commented, hooking one booted foot on the rail as Crichton and Tauvo leaned against the rail on either side of him.  
  
Crichton looked at him, his forehead furrowing slightly as he studied his former nemesis. He gazed back at Morgan where she played, tilting his head. "She's always liked kids," he remarked softly.  
  
Crais nodded, glancing quickly at him. "And it is the one thing I cannot give her," he whispered bitterly.  
  
"She told you, huh?" Crichton asked, turning to face the Captain.  
  
Tauvo leaned forward to look at the human. "Told him what?"  
  
Crais swallowed, gripping the fence. "My wife is unable to bear offspring," he stated flatly.  
  
Tauvo looked at Morgan. He still had not had ample opportunity to speak with his new sister. "Why?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Crichton scratched his cheek. "It's a genetic thing, something that skips generations. I don't know, she's missing half a chromosome or some weird thing like that." Tauvo and Crichton's eyes met, an idea forming in Crichton's mind. "Hey, Bialar," he said softly.  
  
Crais looked at Crichton, not sure if he liked the look on the other man's face. "Yes, John?"  
  
Crichton hated it when he did that. "You're a biogenetic engineer. The doctor's on Earth couldn't help Morgan. Maybe you can. The technology out here is far more advanced." He shrugged. "You've seen that yourself."  
  
Crais was taken by surprise at the sincerity of Crichton's suggestion. He faced him. "Crichton, I know absolutely nothing about the genetics of your species. And I refuse to put Morgan in that form of danger," he replied in a defiant tone.  
  
Crichton looked towards his cousin. "You know more about our biology now than you did before Zhaan used that knowledge in your head to purge Talyn's synaptic fluid from Morgan." He watched as Morgan made her way back towards them, one child holding each of her hands.  
  
Crais stared at Crichton, poking him the chest to gain his attention. "When we are done rescuing the prisoners, then you will help me find an answer," he challenged.  
  
"An answer to what?" Morgan asked, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed. The children ran past them to their father.  
  
Crichton smiled as he turned towards her. "The meaning of life."  
  
Morgan put a hand out to Crais, climbing up on the fence to kiss him soundly on the lips. "Monty Python style?" she teased, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck.  
  
Crichton's face grew serious. "It may be before we're done." He turned away, heading for the house where Aeryn now stood, speaking with Mother.  
  
She looked at Tauvo and Crais. "What's he talking about?"  
  
Crais smiled at her. "Nothing of importance, Morgan. You know how he rambles." His mind churned with the possibilities.  
  
She scrambled over the fence without another thought to Crichton's comment, interested in formerly meeting her brother-in-law. She held out her hand to him. "Morgan Lang…" She caught herself, blushing slightly as she bit her lower lip. "Morgan."  
  
Tauvo laughed, kissing the back of her hand. "I'm honored to meet you Morgan. Bialar has told me quite a bit about you already and I apologize for not truly introducing myself sooner." He quickly gazed at Crais. "And, I am glad that my brother has found someone level headed enough to tame him."  
  
Morgan's eyes grew wide as she jerked her thumb towards Crais, laughing. "Tame? Oh man, do I have to enlighten you." She hopped down off the fence, slipping her hand in the crook of Tauvo's arm as they walked towards the house.  
  
"Morgan!" Crais called warningly, hurrying to catch up with them before she could say something they would both regret.  
  
  
  
They said their goodbyes the next morning, half of the village seeing them off. It was no wonder the Peacekeepers never found them in the bazaar that day; no one in the community had ever intended on betraying them. They all wanted to see a reform. Morgan gazed at her cousin as the transport pod headed away from the planet.  
  
Crichton's eyes met Morgan's and he moved over to sit next to her, taking her hand in his, tracing the intricate tattoo that now graced her wrist. "I was out of line yesterday, you know, jumping you about getting hitched and all." He looked at her. "Especially in front of Crais and Aeryn."  
  
"I think Tauvo knew something was wrong. You didn't notice the odd look he gave me when he and Shantar walked in." Morgan smiled softly at him. "Eh, you're just jealous cause you weren't there," she softly teased.  
  
Crichton held up his hands, a look of horror on his face. "No way! Aeryn told me what it involves. There is no way I could do that! Uh-huh! Nope!"  
  
Morgan laughed. "Wimp. Once you do the first mark, it's…"  
  
"Stop!" Crichton yelled, standing up and staring at Morgan as if she were the devil. He headed towards the cockpit, passing Aeryn on his way through. "Gross!"  
  
The ex-Peacekeeper looked at her lover curiously and then turned to Morgan, a grin on her face. "What did you say to him?" she laughed, jerking her thumb back towards Crichton.  
  
Morgan leaned her head back against the bulkhead. "I started to tell him that once I made the first mark of the bonding tattoo on Crais, the rest were easy. You just have to get past the blood," she answered, shrugging.  
  
Aeryn chuckled. "Some of our customs and traditions are not the easiest to comprehend. Somehow I cannot see Crichton succeeding in that one."  
  
Morgan closed her eyes. "Isn't that the truth. Crais thought I was going to pass out when…" Her mind was suddenly bombarded with images and questions, and she shook her head, raising her hand to her temple.  
  
"Talyn?" Aeryn asked in concern.  
  
Morgan nodded, letting out a whistling breath. After four months of quiet, the gunship's sudden feed was a bit startling. "Yeah Talyn," she answered. "I missed you too."  
  
  
  
Crais held the data chip in his hand, gazing over the command quarters aboard the carrier. They had set off without incident, which made them all nervous. Memories flooded back to him and he shook his head. "No, brother, as much as the offer is tempting, I will remain on Talyn." He smiled at Tauvo, walking over to the vid console and running his fingers lightly across it.  
  
The carrier was gaining more and more ships in its convoy as it headed towards the Gammack base, all members of the resistance. Not every ship was made up of ex-Peacekeepers. Two Luxan battle cruisers had joined as well as a Nebari gunship. Word of the resistance was spreading quickly throughout the Uncharted Territories. Crais faced his brother. "How was this hidden for so long?" he asked, holding up the chip.  
  
Tauvo sank in the chair in front of the desk, gazing at Aeryn who had taken up residence at the sideboard. Crichton and Morgan had returned to Talyn to finish the repairs on the gunship's starburst system after meeting the command staff under Tauvo. "Typical Peacekeeper propaganda," he answered, folding his hands across his stomach. "Much of the information that has circled this galaxy about us…them," he amended, "was doctored by High Command to make the Peacekeepers look good. Tadace's predecessors were not in favor of it, but there was not much they could do. Of course, through hearsay and miscommunication, the history was embellished at every base it passed through." He rubbed his temple, drawing one leg to lie across his knee. "It took us months to weed through all the dren within the files."  
  
Crais raised an eyebrow at his brother's choice of words.  
  
Aeryn's face grew dark. "So then every frelling thing we were taught, everything we were raised to believe all of our lives, have been nothing more than lies," she snapped.  
  
Crais chuckled, and ran a hand through his unbound hair. "Of course. The one thing a Peacekeeper is best at. The one thing we are trained to do that seems to come more naturally to some than others," he replied. He contemplated the chip and then looked at his brother. "You have seen these files? The originals?" Tauvo nodded. Crais slipped the chip in his pocket, leaning back against the console, his arms crossed, stroking his goatee in thought. "What, exactly, is the plan to get on the base?" he asked softly after a few moments.  
  
Tauvo stood up and smiled, Crais' stomach dropping at the grin plastered across his face. "You're the strategist. You have two solar days to figure it out!"  
  
  
  
It had not taken Morgan and Crichton long to finish the repairs on Talyn, leaving the humans with time to themselves. Morgan sat in the middle of the bed of her and Crais' quarters, sifting through a box Kira had stashed with the supplies. The box with stuffed full of mementos, pictures from High School and College, handfuls of her favorite candy, CD's and enough batteries for her radio to last at least a cycle, blue jeans, t-shirts and the pair of cowboy boots Morgan had admired the day they went to order the electrical supplies for Talyn. There was even a picture of all of them in front of Talyn taken with Jack's 35mm camera set up on a tripod. And for some odd reason, there were a few boxes of colored contacts and wash-out hair coloring that Morgan set aside, wondering what on earth Kira was thinking when she had added those to the box.  
  
It was a small, black box buried in the bottom of the container that drew Morgan's attention. A letter was attached to it, written in Uncle Jack's steady hand. Morgan opened the letter cautiously, her hand going to her mouth as she began to cry.  
  
Dearest Morgan,  
  
Even now it is hard for me to write this, knowing that, more than likely, I will never see you or John again. So, I will make this short. You deserve to have these, since you were my sister Elizabeth's only child. I see how you look at him and how he gazes at you when he thinks no one is looking. I have never seen your eyes sparkle that way. I hope that marriage in the Uncharted Territories is a custom they practice. And if it is, I hope that you remain happy with him.  
  
I love you.  
  
Uncle Jack  
  
Morgan opened the small black box, looking down at her parents wedding bands, nestled in the soft velvet, shining in the light. Talyn chirped softly at her. "No. No, I'm okay." She wiped her eyes, cradling the box in her hand as she looked over the rest of the stuff in the box.  
  
When Crais walked in a few arns later, it was to find Morgan curled up sideways on the bed, her fists tucked under her chin, asleep, papers and clothes and other assorted items scattered across the bed. He could tell she had been crying, the streaks still drying on her cheeks. Crais moved slowly towards her, reaching out to gently brush a lock of hair from her forehead. He smiled at Talyn's comment about letting her sleep. "Don't worry Talyn. This is probably the first time she has peacefully slept since Scorpius let you go." He stacked the items back into the box and sat on the bed. He hadn't realized just how tired he actually was. There was nothing they could do now for two days and Tauvo had everything under control.  
  
Crais pulled his boots off and turned to face Morgan, gently moving her so that she was under the comforter. A piece of paper slipped out from under her, fluttering to the floor. Crais picked it up, activating the neural link so that he could read the strange writing with Talyn's help. He looked at his wife, noticing the black box in her hand. He laid the letter back on the desk, sliding into bed next to Morgan, taking the box from her fingers and opening it. "And what exactly do we do with these?" he wondered softly. Morgan had told him very little about human bonding ceremonies. Talyn answered, having drawn the information from Morgan. Crais removed the smaller of the two rings and took her hand, sliding the gold band on her finger, placing the other on his own. It was a bit tight, but nothing he couldn't get used to. Crais pulled her against him, curling his body around hers as exhausted sleep settled over him.  
  
Morgan opened her eyes, smiling softly as she saw the golden band that was her father's wrapped around Crais' finger.  
  
  
  
The conference room on Tauvo's carrier was chock full of ex-Peacekeepers and their allies, Tauvo trying very hard to get everyone to settle down. The plan was very simple: masquerade as the Peacekeeper retrieval squad they had intercepted the day before as it headed for the Gammack base to pick up the prisoners. The marauder was already on board, the officer that had been commanding it in custody with his officers. When the room quieted, Tauvo stepped aside, giving the podium to his brother.  
  
Crais looked over the people in the room. Most of them had been assigned to his own carrier and, surprisingly enough, were still loyal to him. "The infiltration team will consist of myself, Commander Crais, Commander Crichton, Sr. Officer Sun…" His eyes met Aeryn's across the room and he nodded, the promotion long in coming. "…and Captain Langtree." For ease and less confusion, Morgan agreed to use her maiden name until after the mission. He pressed a button, triggering a display of the base behind him. "Once we infiltrate the base, Commander Crais, Sr. Officer Sun and Commander Crichton will be responsible for the prisoner transfer. Captain Langtree and I will be responsible for running interference with the command staff. Once the prisoners are safely in our custody, we will return to the carrier and they will be taken to Zorosa 3 aboard Talyn."  
  
Tauvo stepped up next to Crais. "And that is assuming nothing goes wrong. Which if something does go wrong, then you come in. You all have your orders. In my absence, Sr. Officer Gregon Shantar will be in command…"  
  
Crais listened to his brother as he headed towards the back of the room where Aeryn stood. "Where is Crichton and Morgan?" he hissed.  
  
Aeryn shook her head. "I don't know. She said something about having problems getting the new iden-chips configured. She was finding it difficult to get the DNA coding set, since we are posing as the original crew." Aeryn looked at Crais. "Other than that…" Her voice drifted off as Crichton and Morgan walked in, her eyebrows rising. Even Tauvo's voice drifted into silence and Crais turned to look.  
  
Standing side by side in the doorway, dressed in Commander uniforms, was Crichton and Morgan. Crais stroked his goatee as he contemplated them. Crichton's hair had gone from brown to blonde, his eyes no longer the ice blue that used to plague the Captain's dreams, but now as dark brown as his own. Morgan, on the other hand, had tinted her hair a vibrant red and pulled it back into a tight Peacekeeper queue, her own ice blue eyes now a deep green, the transponder carefully concealed.  
  
Crais nodded in admiration. "That is one way of hiding your true identity," he said aloud.  
  
Crichton shrugged as he walked towards them. "Well, as your darling wife pointed out, our eyes are a dead giveaway."  
  
"They are. And we do not need that." Crais looked at Morgan. She stepped up to him as everyone began to filter out, Tauvo standing behind his brother.  
  
Morgan saluted Crais. "Commander Zalora Mitane, reporting for duty sir," she said in perfect Peacekeeper form.  
  
Crais peered at Tauvo over his shoulder, smiling. "You trained her well."  
  
"Thank you, especially since I had to give her a crash course in Peacekeeper Security procedures in one day," Tauvo answered.  
  
Crichton stepped up next to her, also saluting Crais as Morgan handed him an iden-chip. "Commander Mar Sec reporting for duty sir," he said, his voice tinged with attitude.  
  
Tauvo smiled, looking away at the stony expression on Crichton and Morgan's faces. "I think a little too well," he whispered.  
  
Aeryn was the last to step up, saluting Crais. "Sr. Officer Sela Taren reporting for duty sir."  
  
They waited, Crais looking them over. Everything was in place, yet something nagged at him. The Captain of the base was Lerin Kerick, a man who was for the resistance and close friend with Tadace. Crais wondered what they going to find once they got there. "Let's get on with this," he growled, turning to leave the room.  
  
Aeryn sidled up next to Crichton as the five of them headed for the captured marauder. They were less than five arns from the base. She looked up at Crichton's blonde hair. "I hope that comes out," she commented.  
  
Crichton looked down at her, a grin on his face. "It will, babe." He glanced back at Morgan, marching in step behind Crais. "It better."  
  
  
  
Captain Jira Raseen stood at attention as the marauder softly settled, her security chief at her side, a phalanx of guards surrounding them. The retrieval squad from High Command was right on time, just as it should've been. She had no idea of the deception that was about to enfold.  
  
The ramp lowered slowly, and she lifted her chin as the Peacekeepers came down. The first to appear was a red haired woman, followed by a raven- haired woman, both carrying pulse rifles, one with the rank of Commander, the other a Senior Officer. They took up position on either side of the ramp as two Commanders descended, followed by their commanding officer.  
  
Raseen's face remained expressionless as she got her first view of the marauder's Captain. Her report listed him as Captain Travek Jerich, but she knew exactly who he was. She smiled as she approached him, curious as to what was going on. "Captain Jerich, it is an honor, sir."  
  
Crais never flinched. "Where is Captain Kerick?" he asked in an annoyed tone. His mind was wheeling. Raseen was not supposed to be here. The last report Crais had of her had been cycles ago, shortly after he stole Talyn and she had been sent to bring him in.  
  
"An unfortunate accident, sir. I was forced to assume command on short notice." She nodded once, introducing herself. "Captain Jira Raseen." She turned, approaching the security officer. "Please. I must ask to verify your identity." She watched as each of them complied, every one of them passing. She looked at the red-haired woman who stood close to Crais, wearing the uniform of a Security Chief and Raseen looked at him, determined to find out what was going on. "If you would follow me please," she commanded, leading them down the corridor, the Peacekeeper phalanx behind them.  
  
Morgan could feel the tension radiating from Crais. What's the matter? she asked.  
  
She knows me. Captain Raseen knows exactly who I am.  
  
Morgan's eyes narrowed slightly as she glared at Raseen, her face a perfect mask of control. And, just how does she know this?  
  
Crais bristled inwardly at the slightly jealous tone of voice that rang through the neural links into his head. She was once my lover.  
  
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter FOUR

          Crais followed Morgan into the quarters she had been assigned to, peering over his shoulder to make sure no one suspected anything.  He watched as Morgan secured the room, verifying that there were no listening devices hidden anywhere.  She turned back to her satchel, unzipping it and pulling out the spare pulse pistol she brought with her, laying it on the desk.  "Morgan, I…"

          Morgan held up her hand, stopping him.  "Crais, I don't care.  What you did and who you did it with before we met is none of my business."  She unzipped her jacket, shrugging it off and tossing it onto the bed in the corner.  She turned back towards him, the upset expression on his face making her sigh.  "What?"

          Crais scratched his cheek.  "She knows who I am…"

          "Which is all the more reason to spring the prisoners and get the frell off this base," she finished.  She propped her hands on her hips.  "Did you tell the others yet?"

          "Tauvo knows.  I have not had the opportunity to tell Crichton and Aeryn."  Crais stepped towards her.  "I cannot get rid of Raseen long enough to speak with them."

          Morgan's eyes flashed with anger, the green contacts darkening as her own blue eyes were underneath.  She poked him in the shoulder.  "Don't you think it might be a good idea?" she hissed.

          Crais could feel Morgan's fury building up and he sighed, pulling her into his arms.  "We are in serious danger.  I need you to focus, Morgan," he whispered in her hair.

          They had been there a few arns, Captain Raseen hounding them constantly, looking for anything she could use against them.  Morgan looked up at him.  "You better think of something and fast," she replied softly.

          The chime on the door sounded, Crais moving away from Morgan quickly.  "I will not tolerate any problems, Commander Mitane.  Is that clear?" Crais snapped as he headed for the door.

          "Yes sir!" Morgan responded, standing at attention.

          "Am I interrupting?" Raseen asked as she walked in.  She stared at Morgan, not liking the defiant expression on her face.   Raseen peered back at Crais, an expectant look crossing her face.  She did not like this Commander Mitane one bit.

          He glanced back at Morgan, his hands locked behind his back.  "No.  The Commander and I were discussing the best course of action in regards to the prisoner transfer tomorrow."

          "Good," Raseen answered, nodding, her face stern as she stared at Morgan, approaching her cautiously.  "We really wouldn't want to have to worry about any security issues, do we Commander?"

          Morgan bit back the retort that almost slipped out.  "No, sir."

          Raseen's eyes locked with Morgan's.  "Then we are in agreement."  She turned back to Crais.  "I insist that you join me for dinner Captain Jerich."

          Crais gazed over at Morgan.  "Commander." He pointed to her jacket.

          Raseen peered at the Commander as she pulled her jacket back on, quickly fastening it.  "That won't be necessary Commander.  I have high level matters I need to discuss with Captain Jerich and your clearances aren't high enough."  She smiled slyly as she faced Morgan.  "There is a refreshment lounge on tier seven.  Please, feel free to indulge yourself."  She swept out of Morgan's quarters, standing in the doorway, waiting for Crais in anticipation.

          Crais' eyes met Morgan's and he nodded curtly, following Raseen from the room.  The Captain had left him little choice, especially if they were to keep from blowing their cover.  He was skating on very thin ice and all of their lives were at stake.

          Morgan's eyes narrowed as the door slid closed, not at all comfortable with the situation.  She checked the charge in her pulse pistol and stormed out, heading up the corridor behind them, far enough away to keep Raseen from realizing she was there, close enough to pick up Crais' thoughts and the conversation.  Morgan was thankful Talyn wasn't too far away.  His assistance would be invaluable in getting them off the Gammack base.  Especially now.

          Crais stopped in the doorway of Raseen's office, watching her as she continued further into the room.  "So Bialar, what brings a wanted renegade to my base?" she asked casually, pouring two glasses of raslak.  She handed one to him, sipping her own, waiting for his reply.

          Crais set the glass aside, gazing around the office.  It was clear Raseen had not been there long, some of the previous Captain's personal belongings sitting in boxes around the room.  "What answer do you want, Jira?" he calmly asked, divulging nothing, but controlling the conversation.

          Raseen laughed, a throaty sound that brought goose bumps to Crais' skin.  "Well, it is obviously not because I am here, although, you did break that whole thing off when you were promoted to Captain and given your own carrier group."  She swallowed another sip of raslak, setting her own glass down, moving slowly towards him.  "My guess, then, would be that you have something to do with my esteemed guests in holding block four."  Raseen reached out, unfastening the collar of Crais' jacket.  She peered up at him as he grasped her wrist.  "Maybe we can come to some form of agreeable compromise," she suggested, leaning forward, her lips meeting his in a kiss.

          Crais wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her against him, her wrist still caught in his hand as he deepened the kiss, his mind running through options.  He could simply kill her, but then they would never get off the base alive.  Threatening her would not work; Raseen would never give into any of demands, forcing him to kill her anyway, leaving them back at square one.  "And what…solution…did you…have in mind?" he asked between kisses.

          Raseen slipped her free arm around his neck, grasping his head and pulling Crais' lips back down to hers.  "Let me think on it," she whispered against her lips.

          Morgan froze in the doorway, just out of view in the darkened corridor.  What are you doing? she thought to herself, backing away and starting back up the corridor.

          Raseen saw the flash of red from Morgan's hair and smiled to herself as she kissed Crais again.  It occurred to her that his security chief was more than she seemed.  She would have to take the arrogant little trelk down a few notches before she was done.

Tauvo raised his finger to his lips, silencing Crichton and Aeryn.  "Who is it?" he snapped.

          "Zalora."  The door opened and Morgan slipped in.  "You tell them?" she asked Tauvo.

          "Yes."  He could tell something was bothering her.  "What's the matter?"

          Aeryn stood up, walking over to Morgan.  "Are you all right?"

          "Do I look like I'm frelling alright?"  She moved over to the bench, plopping down on it and leaning her back against the wall, unconsciously copying Crichton's position of foot pulled up on the edge, arm draped over her knee.

          Crichton looked at her.  "Mmm, jealousy is not a good emotion on you," he commented softly.

          "Frell you," Morgan hissed.  "This is turning into a mess."

          Tauvo looked at her, his arms crossed as he leaned back against the console.  "Where's Bialar?"

          Morgan grimaced.  "Having dinner with the good Captain."  She sighed.  "I'd like to jack-slap that bitch," she hissed softly.

          Tauvo ran a hand through his hair.  "Her presence here is only going to complicate matters.  Our contacts may not be willing be reveal themselves."

          "How will we know them if they do approach us?" Crichton asked, leaning forward on the bed.

          "Someone will mention that they've heard you're interested in buying some trellan oil," Tauvo replied.

          Aeryn grabbed Morgan's wrist, pulling the human woman to her feet.  "Come on.  We are not going to get anything done this way."  She started for the door.

          "Where are you going?" Tauvo asked, concern tingeing his voice.

          "To get something to drink."  She looked at Crichton.  "And to see if we can find out some useful information on Captain Raseen."  She paused, pointing at the two men.  "You two put your heads together and come up with a plan."

          They walked through the quiet corridor, Aeryn glancing occasionally at Morgan.  Her face was a perfect mask of calm and disinterest, the only outward sign of her annoyance her clenched right fist.  "We'll get out of this," Aeryn said quietly.

          "Damn right we will."  Morgan looked at Aeryn.  "He better know what he's doing."

          Aeryn shrugged.  "Oh, I'm sure he has a plan."  She fell silent as they walked into the refreshment lounge, looking around warily at the other Peacekeepers that were already there.  The music was playing a bit too loud, the conversation a dull, unintelligible roar around them.  She nodded towards a table in the far corner and Morgan headed for it while she ordered two raslaks.

          Morgan sat with her back to the wall, leaning the chair back, balancing it on two legs.  She studied the other Peacekeepers, her chin tilted slightly as if they were beneath her, all the while allowing Talyn to access the feed, trying to gather as much information on the base's occupants as possible.  Raseen wasn't supposed to be there.  Who else was not what they seemed?

          One lieutenant, a tall, gangly man whose uniform hung from his shoulders walked over to the table.  "You're new here."  He sat down.  "What's your name?"

          Morgan let the chair drop and she leaned towards the Peacekeeper.  "I don't recall inviting you to sit down, Lieutenant.  And my name is none of your business."

          The lieutenant stared at her.  "Oh, come now, Commander.  We're off duty and everyone is looking for a little something to make their evening more enjoyable."  He reached out and laid a hand on Morgan's.  "Even Commanders like you."

          Morgan was not amused.  As a matter of fact, she was getting downright angry.  Quickly, she turned her hand, grasping the lieutenant's wrist and twisting, driving the man off the chair and onto his knees, the glass of raslak he had been carrying spilling on the floor.  "I am not interested.  Do you understand me?"  The man nodded.  "Good.  Then go the frell away and don't bother me again." 

          Aeryn raised an eyebrow as she approached the table, setting the two bottles down.  "Problem, Commander?"

          Morgan looked at the lieutenant, who shook his head.  She let go of his arm and sat up.  "No.  Thank you."  She popped open the bottle, drinking it down as the lieutenant skulked away.  "I'm beginning to think Peacekeepers are undersexed."

          Aeryn's mouthful of raslak came spewing out at Morgan's comment.  "Frell, Zalora.  Next time make sure I'm not drinking anything when you make a comment like that," Aeryn laughed, remembering to use her assumed name as she wiped the raslak from her jacket.

          Morgan shrugged, a smile on her face.  She was beginning to feel a bit better and she let the link to Crais open.  _So, I'm spying on him, big deal_, she thought to herself.  She watched as Raseen walked away, seeing everything from Crais' point of view.  For some reason, though, she couldn't hear what they were saying.  Raseen approached Crais again, wrapping her arms around his neck.  She could feel his discomfort and her eyes narrowed as his hands slid up from Raseen's waist towards her breasts.  _Your hands go any higher and I'll kill you, _she thought, making sure Crais heard her.  Morgan severed the link, tossing the mental block back into place as another lieutenant made his way to the table.  

          He smiled down at them.  "May I buy you ladies a drink?" he asked politely.

          "Sure.  Why not?" Aeryn answered.  She looked at Morgan who had once again propped her chair on two legs, sipping her own drink as the man came back.  He sat down, opening the raslaks for them.  

          "My name is Lieutenant Andri Leris.  And you are Commander Zalora Mitane and Sr. Officer Sela Taren."  He leaned forward.  "I understand you are looking to buy some trellan oil."

          Aeryn nodded.  This was one of Tauvo's contacts.  "It depends on how much you have for sale and its quality," she answered.

          Leris took a sip of his drink.  "Would you like to inspect the goods?"

          The three of them walked out of the lounge, none of them noticing that the Lieutenant that propositioned Morgan was watching and reporting to an unseen source.

          Morgan's snarl echoed through Crais' head and he stopped, asking himself just what the hezmona he was doing.  He looked down at Raseen, forcefully pushing her away.  "It has been a long day.  We can discuss this in greater detail in the morning."  

          Raseen looked up at him, a smug smile on her face.  "You are more than welcome to remain with me tonight," she purred, inching her way back towards Crais.

          Crais smiled and nodded.  "Thank you, but no.  My officers may get suspicious."  He gently kissed her forehead.  

          "Mmm, especially that little Security Chief of yours."  Raseen turned and walked over to her desk, sitting down behind it.  "What is she to you, anyway, Bialar?"

          Crais opened his hands wide.  "She is nothing more than the assigned security chief with the marauder crew.  They have no idea who I am.  I arrived after they were already given their orders."  He rested his hands on the desk, leaning towards the Captain.  "Believe me, she is nothing more than a nuisance."

          Raseen tapped her fingers to her lips.  "A nuisance that I can conveniently dispose of, if you like."  She watched Crais' expression for any indication that Morgan meant anything to him.

          Crais smiled.  "I may take you up on that offer, if I find her loyalty wavering."  He stood up, tugging his jacket back into place.  "Thank you for dinner."

          Raseen returned his smile.  "You are more than welcome.  If you change your mind…"

          Crais nodded, turning and leaving the woman's office.  He could smell her on his clothes, taste her on his lips and he shuddered.  She wasn't Morgan.  She didn't look like Morgan, didn't taste like Morgan, didn't feel like Morgan.  The Captain was not happy with the way things were progressing.  Crais took the lift down to the billets, stopping at his brothers.  He rang the chime.

          Tauvo unlocked the door and took one look at his brother's scowling face.  "So, how deep is the dren we are in?"

          Crais paced back and forth, his nostrils flaring.  "Oh, very deep.  Very deep indeed."

          "Well, I figure you're in deeper dren than the rest of us.  Just what the hell did you do to piss Morgan off?" Crichton asked as he walked in from the back part of the quarters.

          Crais glared at him.  "Nothing more than what I had to do to keep Raseen from shipping us off to High Command immediately."  He stopped in his tracks.  "Where are Aeryn and Morgan?"

          "They went to the refreshment lounge to see if they could find any information out on Raseen," Tauvo supplied, sitting next to Crichton.  He keyed a sequence in on the console before him, bringing up a layout of the base before them.  "The prisoners are here.  Crichton and I don't foresee any problem getting down there and back to the marauder.  But, if Raseen is on to you, it's going to be more heavily guarded than anticipated."

          "We need a distraction," Crichton chimed in, leaning his arm on his knee and propping his chin in his hand.

          Crais studied the layout.  "Have any of your contacts checked in yet?"

          Tauvo shook his head.  "Unless they approached Aeryn and Morgan.  We may want to try and free them tonight."

          Crais nodded.  "I have an idea, but I need to talk to Morgan first."

          Crichton looked up at him suspiciously.  "What's the idea?" he asked softly.

          Crais gazed down at him.  "Raseen has an immediate dislike of my wife.  If Morgan is agreeable, I can provide the distraction.  But it will mean I stay on the base and provide cover for you."

          "No."  Tauvo shook his head vehemently.  "Absolutely not.  Raseen will eat you alive."

          Crais looked at Crichton.  "Don't look at me.  I agree with Tauvo."

          The door chimed again, this time Aeryn slipping through as it opened.  "We've made contact with one of your people.  Raseen has contacted High Command already.  There's a carrier group on its way here."

          "Where's Morgan?" Crais asked, heading for the door.

          "She returned to her quarters.  We've got to get out of here and now," Aeryn replied as Tauvo and Crichton stood up.  "Leris is waiting for us in the detention area."

          Crais looked at the three of them.  "I'll get Morgan.  Head for the detention area.  We will meet you there."

          Aeryn followed Crais.  "I'm going with you.  You may need my help."

          He smiled.  "I may."

          Morgan dug in her satchel, looking for the extra power pack for her pulse pistol.  She knew she had tossed it in there, wondering if she was loosing her mind.

          "Looking for this?"

          The human spun around at Raseen's voice, watching as the Captain walked towards her from the back of the quarters, the missing power pack in her hands.  "What the frell are you doing in my quarters?" Morgan hissed quietly, all pretense of being a Peacekeeper gone.

          Raseen smiled evilly.  "Just checking on a few things.  Like who you really are."  She tossed Morgan the power pack, running a finger along the side console as she moved towards her.  "I know Commander Zalora Mitane, and you are not her.  It took me a few microts to put it all together and as soon as I did, I contacted High Command."  Raseen paced around Morgan, impressed by the lack of surprise on the other woman's face.  "You're good."  She chuckled.  "You are very good, whoever you are."  She stopped denches from Morgan, their eyes meeting.  "Who else is here with you?"

          Morgan scratched behind her ear in boredom.  "As if you really think I'm going to tell you."

          Raseen's eyes narrowed.  "You will, or I will make sure you watch Bialar die a slow and painful death before I kill you."

          Morgan laughed, propping her hands on her hips.  "You have to catch him first, you Peacekeeper bitch."  Without any further provocation, Morgan lashed out and belted Raseen, her fist connecting with the Captain's nose in a satisfying crunch.  

          Raseen staggered backward, blood spewing from her nose as she glowered at Morgan.  "How dare you strike a senior officer!"

          Morgan simply smiled as she swung again, this time her other fist connecting with Raseen's jaw.  "Oops, I did it again," she commented.

          Raseen lunged for Morgan, her hands grasping a handful of hair, pulling.  She yanked backwards, her legs hitting the console behind her, both women going down in flurry of fists.  The Captain rolled, knocking Morgan off of her, straddling her as she pummeled the smaller woman, her hands leaving scratch marks on Morgan's face.  

          Morgan jerked her head form side to side, Raseen's fists hitting the floor.  She bucked her hips, tossing the woman head over heels behind her, quickly standing, her body poised in a defensive position.

          "You will pay for this!" Raseen snarled, crouching to lunge at Morgan again.

          "Yeah, well, give it your best try," Morgan taunted, motioning for the Captain.

          Raseen lunged, taking Morgan in the gut as she pushed backwards, an enraged growl emerging from her lips.  The force of her attack pushed Morgan back, the door sliding open, the two women slamming into the opposite bulkhead in the corridor.  She slammed her hand into Morgan's knee, causing the human to loose her balance, pain lancing up her leg.

          Morgan refused to go down without a fight.  She brought her hands up, clenched into one fist, backhanding Raseen.  The Captain swung back, her fist connecting with Morgan's cheek.  She felt the bone crack, her face immediately swelling as she regained her balance.  Fury flowed through her and Morgan ran at Raseen, jumping and turning in a flying roundhouse, her foot connecting with the Sebacean's face, ignoring the pain that coursed through her already sore knee.  Raseen went flying, hitting the bulkhead in an unconscious pile as Crais and Aeryn rounded the corner. 

          "What the frell happened?" Aeryn asked as the alert siren began to wail.

          Crais grabbed Raseen and dragged her body back into Morgan's quarters, turning quickly as a phalanx of Peacekeepers came jogging down the corridor past them, heading for the detention center.  "We must go, now," he growled.

          Morgan and Aeryn fell into step behind him, the human limping.  "Psycho-Sebacean back there tried to get one up on me."  She stared daggers into Crais' back, wondering what exactly Captain Raseen had offered her husband.  "She was waiting for me in my quarters.  It seems she knows Commander Mitane."

          Crais glanced over his shoulder at them.  He noticed his wife's bloody knuckles and returned his gaze forward as they entered the lift.  "She's called High Command, Morgan."

          Morgan whirled on him.  "So she said.  How the hell are we going to get out of here?"

          Crais simply shook his head, the mask of concern on his face disconcerting.

          Tauvo and Crichton slipped into the detention center a little too easy.  The guard on duty verified their iden-chips and waved them on.  Crichton looked sideways at Tauvo, the pulse rifle in his arm primed and ready.  "I don't like this."

          "I don't either."  He saw Leris standing at the end of the corridor.  

          "Tauvo."  Leris looked at Crichton.  "You must be Crichton.  Come on.  There's already a Phalanx of guards on the way."  He led the way around the corner, stopping at a cell, sliding his iden-chip in the slot.  The door opened and Jorin Tadace slipped out, taking the pulse pistol from Leris.

          "What took you so long?" Jorin asked, smiling at Tauvo as they continued down the corridor.

          "Ran into a family member who joined up." Tauvo popped the security code on the second cell, freeing Lorac.

          "Please tell me it's Bialar," Lorac commented, having heard the conversation.  They continued on, Tauvo waving them back at the intersection.  

          "Yes."  Tauvo glanced at Leris.  "They should've been here by now."

          Leris tapped his comm badge.  "Commander Leris to Commander Mitane."  He received nothing but static.

          Crichton took Tauvo's place at the intersection, watching as he darted across the corridor intersection towards the other bank of cells.  The look on Tauvo's face darkened as the last cell opened and he disappeared, reappearing shortly, shaking his head.  Crichton peered around the corner, Aeryn, Morgan and Crais coming up behind them as Tauvo rejoined them.

          Lorac looked at Crais.  "Fancy seeing your ugly face again," he joked, shaking Crais' hand.

          Crais nodded, acknowledging both men as he approached Tauvo.  "Where's Tara Korin?"

          "Dead.  Her throat's been cut."  Tauvo looked at Morgan, her left eye swollen shut, the entire side of her face black and blue.  "Who did you have it out with?"

          "Captain Raseen," she answered, smiling, taking the pulse rifle from her brother-in-law.

          "Can you fire like that?" he asked, pointing to her face.

          Morgan gazed at him.  "Yeah.  Just makes it easier."  She slipped past them, taking up position across from Crichton.  

          Crichton chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at her bloodied knuckles.  "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

          "Damn right I did," Morgan answered.

          Crichton took off up the corridor, dropping into the service corridor on the right.  Crais and Jorin joined him, Lorac and Leris next, leaving Tauvo, Aeryn and Morgan to bring up the rear.

          Which would have not been a problem had Captain Raseen and her security detail showed up.  The Sebacean Captain was livid, her nose crooked on her face.  She fired off a shot, the laser blast chipping the wall just above Morgan's head.  The security detail opened fire, smoke rapidly filling the corridor.

          Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Crais and the others watched Raseen's attack.  He and Crichton fired, taking out some of the guards, but there were too many.  Morgan, Aeryn and Tauvo were trapped, cut off from them.  Tauvo waved for them to go, firing as he crossed the corridor, Peacekeeper bodies littering the ground between them.  

          And then time stopped.  Raseen aimed at Morgan, firing, the laser bolt taking the human woman square in the chest, knocking her backwards down the corridor, her body sliding to a stop, motionless.

          "NO!  MORGAN!" Crais screamed as Crichton, Jorin and Lorac pulled him back, dragging him from the detention area, knowing that, right now, there was nothing they could do for the others.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Talyn was quiet.  Maybe a little too quiet.  The corridors of the Leviathan gunship were empty, it's Captain noticeably missing from the bridge.  They had barely made it off the Gammack base with the two surviving prisoners, the gunship picking off the Prowlers that launched after the marauder in pursuit, scooping them up and star bursting as High Command's ships entered the sector.  That had been three solar days earlier and Talyn orbited Zorosa 3, surrounded by the remainder of Tauvo's resistance fleet.  They had only lost three ships in the escape, three ships that had taken four of the Peacekeeper's command group with them as they exploded in space in a brilliant fury of fire.  But those three ships were nothing compared to the price they had paid in losing Aeryn and Tauvo to the Peacekeepers.  And Morgan's death.

Crais stood at the viewport in his quarters, watching the small patrol ships weave in and out of the armada.  The transponder lay on the console behind him.  He couldn't face Talyn's endless battery of questions and left the confused ship in the care of Crichton, retreating to his quarters as soon as they were safe.  Where he had remained ever since.

Crais picked up the bottle of raslak from the bedside stand, taking a deep draught of the alcohol.  It had taken three bottles to finally face the events that took place in the detention area of the Gammack base.  He replayed the scene in his mind, over and over, licking his lips as he breathed in.  Morgan should've gone first; he should never have let her remain at the rear.  Tauvo and Aeryn were trained to fight.  Morgan wasn't.  The last glimpse he had had of his wife, his brother and Aeryn before Crichton and Leris dragged him away was that of Aeryn bending over Morgan's prone body, Tauvo dropping the pulse rifle, his hands up in surrender.  Once again he had failed them.  He held the bottle against his forehead, the glass cool as he swallowed past the dryness in his throat.

He turned and looked around.  Morgan was everywhere in his quarters, their quarters.  The one thing that had finally made everything he had suffered through since meeting Crichton worth it was gone and he honestly didn't know how he was going to go on.  Slowly, Crais walked over to the shelf above his desk, reaching out and picking up a bright blue rock from the very first planet he had taken her to.  She had brought back a memento from every planet she had visited, lining them up on the shelf, the planets name neatly written in both English and Sebacean on a tag in front of it.  He took a gulp of raslak, sitting down in the chair behind him, staring at the rock, his eyes closing as he remembered….

Crais looked at Morgan as she ran back from the water's edge, her legs wet from the ocean's gentle wave.  He leaned on one arm, sprawled out on the blanket she had spread, simply enjoying watching her, studying the human woman who had risked her life to save him from the Scarrens and remain with him.  The woman he was falling in love with.

"Check this rock out," Morgan commented, handing it to him.  "I have never seen anything so beautiful."

"Not even on your on home world?" he asked, turning the rock in his hand, studying it.  He looked up at her questioningly.

"Nope."  Morgan lay down on the blanket next to him, watching the sun of a strange world set over the ocean.  She gazed at Crais.  "Do you know what it is?"

He smiled slightly.  "No.  But Zhaan probably does.  You will have to ask her when we meet with them again."  He handed the rock back to her, his fingers lingering on her hand.

Morgan smiled back, closing her fingers over his.  "You Sebaceans aren't very romantic, you are?" she teased.

Crais' eyebrows flew up.  "Romantic?  Now you want me to be romantic?" he asked incredulously.  "I suppose you will want me to start saying impractical things that state the obvious."

Morgan laughed at his expression.  "No.  But it'd be nice to hear three little words more often," she answered, playfully pushing him.

Crais stared down at the rock in his hand.  "I love you," he whispered.  He returned the rock to the shelf, gazing at the other items laying there, his eyes falling to an ornate bracelet he had bought her on the day he asked her to marry him.  He picked it up, taking another gulp of the raslak sitting back down in the chair.  He rubbed his thumb over the black jewel, leaning his head back, closing his eyes, the memories flooding back…  

Crais walked into the room they had secured on the commerce planet, looking for Morgan.  The weather had changed, growing warm and humid, a soft rain falling from the sky.  The curtains billowed, revealing her sitting on the balcony, her hair wet against her head as the rain fell.  Crais felt his groin tighten as he moved closer to her, her white dress clinging to her, revealing the curves of her body. "Morgan," he said softly.

She turned and looked up at him, rising from the chair she was sitting in.  She walked over to him, leaning up and kissing him without saying a word as she slowly undid his jacket, her hands like brands against him as she pushed it off his shoulders.  Slowly, Morgan slid her hands beneath his shirt, pushing him back against the wall as thunder rolled across the sky.  She unsnapped the button on his pants, easing her hand inside to gently cup him as she kissed him again, their mouths wordlessly vying for dominance.

Crais turned her, taking control as he picked her up, their bodies slick with sweat in the hot air. He slid his own hands up her body, pulling the gauzy dress with it as he lifted her, pinning her between himself and the wall as he kissed her neck, shifting to free himself and entering her, slowly moving his hips as he made love to Morgan, his need growing, both of their bodies shaking in passion, release growing closer, her hands clenched in his hair, his own hands holding onto her tightly as he rocked, taking her, needing her, fighting the release they both desparately wanted, trying to prolong the moment…

The bottle of raslak shattered in his hand, the shards of glass splintering, cutting him.  A drop of water fell on the bracelet, then another, slipping down his cheeks as his grief finally came out.  He slipped out of the chair, to his knees, dropping the bracelet as he drove his fists to his eyes, his mouth opening in a silent scream as his body shuddered with wracking sobs.  He leaned over, his forehead resting on Talyn's deck, pounding it with his bloody fist as anger welled up inside him, anger at himself for not protecting her, anger at Morgan for hanging back in the corridor, anger at everything that existed in the galaxy.

"Why Morgan?  Damn you why?  Why did you have to lag behind?  How can you do this to me?" he cried, sitting back up, his face haggard and worn with three days worth of stubble and the tears that coursed freely down his cheeks.  "Why?" he screamed.  In a fit of rage, Crais stood, grasping a hold of the shelf his data chips sat on, wiping his arm across them, the chips scattering.  He grabbed a fresh bottle of raslak, taking another drink, sliding on the chips as he moved towards the shelf of Morgan's CD's, wiping them out as he went around the room, throwing items, smashing bottles in his grief.  "I need you and now you're gone!" he screamed.  By the time his anger was spent, the only thing he hadn't touched was the shelf of mementos.  Crais slid on a pile of data chips, losing his balance and falling in a heap on the floor, landing on the blankets he had jerked off the bed.  He turned his face into the comforter, breathing in Morgan's soft scent that lingered there, the bottle of raslak forgotten.  "I'm sorry Morgan.  I am so sorry," he sobbed, his tears staining the blanket as he slipped into a fitful alcohol and grief induced sleep.

Captain Raseen strode down the corridor, her eyes set in determination.  Damn Crais, she thought as she marched back into the detention block, slapping the console.  The door slid open and she glared at the three prisoners before her.  "Well, at least I will be compensated for the three of you.  You're worth more to me anyway."  

Aeryn gazed up at her, rising slowly, moving to stand in front of Morgan.  "You'll never have the satisfaction of turning us into High Command," she snarled, fists clenched at her sides.

Morgan slowly eased her way up the wall, Tauvo's hand steadying her.  Her left shoulder hurt where the pulse blast had caught her, the skin around the wound red and blistering.  She was lucky she had turned when she did, the laser bolt glancing off her shoulder.  Otherwise, she would've been dead.  Her eyes narrowed in fury.

"Oh, I believe I will.  The only way you will leave this base alive is in chains."  She moved towards Tauvo.  "You thought you could get away with it, didn't you Tauvo?  We have been after the leaders of the resistance for two cycles now.  I shouldn't be surprised that you and your brother are involved.  The inquisitors will find out exactly who the rest of your little dissidents are."  Raseen looked at Morgan, pushing Aeryn aside as she moved past, the guard that had entered the cellblock training his pulse rifle on the ex-Peacekeeper.  "I also know that where John Crichton is, his darling cousin Morgan and his Sebacean lover Officer Sun is not far behind.  I almost didn't recognize him with that blonde hair."  She chuckled wryly.  "And soon I will have Bialar and the others.  I'm sure I can reform him.  Who knows?  I might even be able to have the irreversible contamination charge dropped, assuming he is willing to remain here with me," she commented, provoking Morgan.

Tauvo took one look at his sister-in-law, noticing the expression on her face.  "Morgan," he warned softly.  "Now is not the time."

The human woman ignored him, a feral snarl escaping her throat as she lunged forward.  It took everything Aeryn and Tauvo had to pull her back, dragging her away from Raseen.  "You keep your filthy hands off my husband!" Morgan snarled, struggling against Aeryn and Tauvo.

Raseen's eyebrows rose.  "How interesting.  How interesting indeed.  High Command will be more than satisfied with the three of you."  Her eyes narrowed at the human woman.  "And I know Scorpius will give me extra compensation for capturing you."  She turned on one heel, the guard following.  "Prepare them for transport to the carrier.  I will deliver them to High Command myself."

Crichton stepped into Crais' quarters, looking around, his eyes wide at the destruction that littered the room.  He raised his hand to his mouth, propping his elbow on his other arm, wondering where exactly Crais was.  Shantar had contacted Crichton a few microts earlier with the news that Raseen was transporting three prisoners back to High Command.  Two of them were ex-Peacekeepers, the third unknown.  It was the small glimmer of hope he needed to get his butt in gear.  He had left Crais alone, knowing that he could never convince him that Morgan was still alive.  Crichton and Leris had talked enough over the last three days to know that Raseen wouldn't kill Aeryn and Tauvo.  She wanted the information on the resistance movement.  It was her ticket to a hefty promotion.  And he never gave up hope that his cousin survived.  Morgan didn't give up on him; he was not about to give up on her.

"Hey Bialar!" Crichton stepped further into the room, taking care of where he walked.  "Crais!" He bent down, picking up the picture Kira had sent of all of them, brushing the dust and debris from the frame, surprised it wasn't broken.  Crichton set the picture on the desk, sighing.  "Hey Crais!" he called again in annoyance.

"Go…away."

Crichton moved towards the alcove to the right of the bed, stepping over the spilled data chips and scattered CD's.  He found the Captain slumped on the deck in the farthest corner of his quarters.  He reeked of raslak, his hair unbound and matted, his clothes dirty and caked with blood.  The man sitting in the corner was not the insane Peacekeeper Captain that had hounded him relentlessly for an entire cycle.  "Jesus, Crais," Crichton swore.  He bent over, grabbing Crais by the shirt and hauling him to his feet, setting him in the chair to his right.  Crichton tapped his comm badge.  "Hey Leris."

"Go ahead Crichton."  Leris paused.  "What's the matter?"

Crichton gazed down at Crais, shaking his head.  This was the last thing he needed.  "In Talyn's mess area there is a funky looking machine on the counter.  Follow the directions taped to the top of it for me.  One of the DRD's can show you where the stuff you'll need is."

"What do you want me to do with it when it's done?"

Crichton rubbed his eyes.  "Bring the pot and a mug to Crais' quarters."  He tapped the badge, ending the discussion.  He knelt in front of Crais, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand as he studied him.  "What are you doing, Crais?" he asked softly.

"Leave me alone, Crichton," Crais answered in defeat.  He leaned his head on his hand, covering his eyes as he propped his arm on the table.

"No can do, chief smoke," Crichton commented, standing up.  He knocked the half-empty bottle of raslak away from Crais' searching hand.  "I need you, man."

Crais looked up at him, his brown eyes bloodshot and haunted over a pale face full of stubble.  "Go back to Earth, Crichton.  They're gone."

Anger swelled in the human and grabbed Crais, dragging him out of the chair and shaking him, getting in the ex-Peacekeeper's face.  "Damn you, Crais!  Aeryn and Tauvo are still alive and on their way to Peacekeeper High Command.  Or does that not even matter to you?"  He heard Leris enter, but never moved.  "You planning on tucking tail and running, just you like you did before?"

Any other time, Crais would've belted Crichton for a comment like that.  Now, he was too exhausted, too distraught to care.  "She's dead, Crichton.  And there is nothing we can do for Aeryn and Tauvo."

Crichton backed away, staring at the pathetic Sebacean before him, dropping him back into the chair.  "So you're just going to let them win," he stated.  "You know, you're not the only one hurting here, you selfish bastard!  You don't know she's dead!"  Crichton saw the transponder lying on the floor and he picked it up, throwing it at Crais.  "You haven't even tried to pick up her signal!"  He ran a hand through his hair, tears starting to spill down his own cheeks.  "And what about Aeryn?  You've been after her hot and heavy until Morgan came along and now you're just going to let her die?  She's the only person who ever retained any faith in your sorry ass since I came here!"

Crais stared up at Crichton.  "What do you want from me John?" he asked faintly.

Crichton looked at him.  "What do I want from you?" He pointed to himself.  "I want Aeryn back!  I want my cousin back and if I can't have that, then I want proof that Morgan is dead."

Crais stood up slowly, gripping the table as his knees tried to buckle out from under him.  "No one can take a pulse blast like that and live.  Even you know that," he whispered.

Crichton stared at him in shock.  He could not believe Crais would give up that easily.  "You know what, Crais?  You're a frelling asshole!  If you really loved my cousin, you'd straighten yourself up, find that…" he paused, trying to control his rage, "…arrogant Peacekeeper attitude you try to hide and help me!"  He pushed Crais, knocking him back into the chair, leaning forward so that denches separated them.  "If you won't do it for me, then do it for Morgan.  She didn't give up on you.  Don't you frelling dare give up on her, you sorry piece of dren!"  Crichton turned and stalked out before he gave in to the temptation to beat Crais senseless.

Crais stared across the room, watching as the doors closed, the raslak-induced haze slowly starting to clear.  He stood back up, carefully staggering to his desk, watching the steam rise off the coffee.  The picture stared back at him, Morgan's arm wrapped around him, a smile on her face, her hair rustling in the terran breeze.  Crais looked down at the transponder in his hand and hesitantly popped it into the cradle at the base of his neck.  The gunship immediately bombarded him with questions.  "Later Talyn," Crais whispered.  "Just show me Crichton."  He closed his eyes, Talyn doing as he asked.  He found the human standing in his quarters, holding one of Aeryn's shirts to his face as he cried, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.  Crais turned his head as if looking away, cutting the feed and removing the transponder.  With shaking hands, he poured himself a cup of coffee, grimacing as he swallowed.  He peered around the room at the mess he made.  Slowly, his head and heart aching, Crais picked up his wife's CD's, stacking them on the shelf, Crichton's words still ringing in his ears.  She didn't give up on you.  Don't you frelling dare give up on her.  He paused for a moment, a small black box catching his eye from amidst the shambles at his feet.  Crais knelt, leaning back on his haunches as he retrieved the box and opened it, tears immediately welling up in his dark eyes.

Morgan's parents' wedding bands shined in their velvet bed, glaring up at him as he rubbed a hand over his face.  They had agreed to remove them for the mission, planning on returning them to their fingers when they returned.  Crais stood up, moving back to his desk, setting the box next to the picture, staring at them.  His fingers brushed the console, opening the manual comm channel to the Leviathan.  "Talyn, initiate a wideband scan for Morgan's signal," he said, his voice cracking.  He closed the comm and removed the gold band that fit his finger from the box, sliding it on his left hand.  He removed his ruined shirt, wadding it up in a ball and tossing it in the refuse recycler, his resolve building each microt as removed the chain with Morgan's Celtic knot from around his neck.  She had insisted he wear it, a token of her love.  Carefully, his hands steadier than before, Crais slid Morgan's wedding bang on the chain, replacing it around his neck.

She didn't give up on you.  Don't you frelling dare give up on her.

Crais licked his lips as he poured more coffee in the mug.  He carefully moved around the room, trying to straighten up the chaos.  

_…find that arrogant Peacekeeper attitude…_

He moved towards the bathroom, noticing for the first time the cuts that littered the back of his right, not knowing how they got there.  Crais looked at himself in the mirror and knew one thing:  Crichton was right.  The human was going to need his help saving Aeryn and Tauvo.

And finding Morgan.

Tauvo leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed, head tilted, watching through the bars of his cell as Aeryn tried to jimmy the lock in the cell she was in across from him.  He glanced down the corridor, watching for the guards.  He returned his gaze to Aeryn.  "When did you become proficient at tech work?" he asked casually, raising one eyebrow.

Aeryn looked up at him.  "About two monens after your brother declared me irreversibly contaminated and started chasing Crichton."  She returned her attention to the lock, jerking her hand back as she cut her finger on the sharp wires she had managed to expose.  "Frell," she hissed, sucking her finger.  She had been trying to get the cell open since they were brought aboard the command carrier the day before.  She looked up at Tauvo.  He was staring at Morgan in the cell next to hers, his brow drawn down in concern.  "Is she alright?"

Tauvo nodded, moving to the other side of his cell.  "She's asleep," he said softly.  "I don't like the way her shoulder looks," he commented.

Aeryn moved forward to lean against the bulkhead across from him.  "Is it still so red?"

Tauvo nodded.  "I have to give her credit.  She has never complained about it hurting."  He shifted slightly, resting his weight on the other foot.  "Morgan still has one hand wrapped around the transponder."

Aeryn sighed, leaning her head back.  "Raseen's probably hoping Crais will come after us.  I suspect that's why she let her keep it."

Tauvo nodded in agreement.  "Knowing my brother, he will come after us."  He smiled.  "With Crichton in tow."

"Assuming John hasn't killed him yet."  Aeryn slid down the wall, sitting on the deck, her arms propped on her drawn up knees.  "You do realize that as soon as the inquisitors are done with us, we'll be facing an extermination squad."

Tauvo knelt down, lowering his voice.  "Aeryn, we have to get out of here.  If Bialar and Crichton don't come after us, none of us have a chance."  He looked over at Morgan's sleeping form.  "And Scorpius won't hesitate to kill her once he gets the wormhole formula."

Aeryn rolled her head against the wall to look at him.  "The only chance we'll have to escape is when they take us to the surface."

Tauvo nodded.  "Tadace will be waiting.  Hopefully Shantar has already contacted him."

Aeryn's eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly smiled.  "You have a back-up plan," she simply stated, her smile growing larger.

Tauvo nodded, smiling back.  "Of course I do.  Have you ever known Bialar or I not to have one?"  The door at the end of the cellblock slid open and he stepped back, winking at Aeryn.

Crichton shook his head, staring at the clamshell.  "Shantar, I'm not going risk it.  A prowler will be enough to get me in.  I'll worry about how I'm gonna get out later."

"That will not be necessary."

Crichton turned slowly, standing up and staring, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  "I guess I said something that got through that thick skull of yours," he replied.  He turned back to the clamshell.  "Hey, I'll call you back."  He severed the communication, crossing his arms as he faced Crais.

The Captain walked over to Crichton, his uniform crisp and clean, the jacket open more than what would be proper for a Peacekeeper.  The stubble was gone, his hair neatly slicked back in its queue.  His eyes met Crichton's, locking with the human's.  Crais reached out his hand.  "You were right.  And you…you will not do this alone."

Crichton looked at Crais' hand, then back to the Captain, clasping his hand.  Crais surprised him when he took Crichton's lower arm instead, clasping him close to the elbow as if they were brothers.

"I realize we may never be…friends," Crais stated, watching the expression on Crichton's face.  "But we are family.  And family, no matter how much we may fight…and argue amongst ourselves…stands behind one another."  

The two men looked at each other for a moment, both contemplating how far they had come over the last few cycles.  Crichton still didn't trust Crais completely, although he was beginning to respect the ex-Peacekeeper thanks to Morgan.  And Crais studied Crichton, the strange human who turned his neat, little world upside down.  He was finding Crichton to be more than a formidable ally, smarter than he had ever given him credit for. 

Crichton was the first to speak.  "So, are we going to kiss and dance or go find the others?"

Crais shook his head.  "I will save my kisses for Morgan."  He moved away from Crichton, tapping a side console and leaning both hands on it as a three-dimensional display of High Command appeared.  Crichton stepped up next to Crais as he pointed.  "This is where Raseen will take them.  Since Tauvo has information on the resistance, the inquisitors will want to interrogate him, as well as Aeryn."

"What about Morgan?"

Crais looked up the Commander.  "If Morgan is still alive, and Scorpius has received word from Raseen, then she'll be turned over to him."

Crichton rubbed his chin.  "Which means he'll get the wormhole formula."

"And kill Morgan."  Crais stood up, changing the image.  "It is a five day trip to High Command.  Once there, we will make contact with Tadace and infiltrate the council complex here."  He pointed to a row of barracks.  "This is where they'll keep them.  There is a maintenance shaft leading up into the detention area."

Crichton leaned a hip against the console, facing Crais.  "Raseen and the carrier group has two days head start on us.  There's no way we can get there in time."  He crossed his arms.

Crais clasped his hands behind his back, walking to the center of Talyn's bridge.  "We will arrive before them."

Crichton's eyebrows rose.  "Really?  How?" he asked in curiosity.

Crais looked away momentarily.  "Talyn's starburst system is superior to any command carrier the Peacekeepers have.  I made sure when I bred him that it was…enhanced," he replied, a smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  "We will arrive a day and a half before them."

Crichton shook his head.  "You son of a bitch.  You had a trump card all this time."  He ran a hand through his hair, the other hand propped on his hip.  "Okay.  So who are we taking with us?  We need some sort of strike team."  He felt Talyn shudder slightly as the Leviathan banked away from the armada.  "Crais?"

Crais looked at the system's console as Talyn slipped into starburst.  He turned and looked at Crichton.  "You and I are the strike team.  I already told Shantar that if we did not return in no more than two weekens, to presume us dead and continue on."

The human's eyes widened.  "You and I?  That's it?  Just the two of us?"

Crais tilted his head slightly.  "What is the matter Crichton?  The fewer people trying to infiltrate the complex, the less chance of discovery."

"Yeah, but that means I have to trust you," Crichton commented.

"And I you.  But, for once, we are united in a common goal."  Crais stepped up to him.  "You wanted my help.  And I need yours."

Crichton nodded, holding up his hands.  "Okay.  Okay.  You've made your point."  He looked towards the viewport.  "Let's try not to frell it up this time."

Crais' eyes narrowed in determination.  "I intend to go in and rescue my brother, Aeryn Sun and my wife."  He paused, lifting his chin, his jaw locking.  "Or die trying."


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
Councilman Borin Tadace stared at the view screen, his fury barely controlled. He was not informed of Captain Raseen's sudden promotion to commander of the Gammack base until it was too late to warn Tauvo and the others. And now she was on her way to High Command with three prisoners. He glowered at her face, frozen on the screen, secretly pleased by the fact that someone had beaten the hezmona out of her. Tadace turned the screen off, returning to his work as his aide walked in, a concerned look across her face. He canted his head as he gazed up at her. "What is the matter?"  
  
She leaned towards him across the desk, sliding a vid-chip along the slick wood to him. "They are here," she simply said.  
  
Tadace laid his hand over the chip, straightening in his seat. "Raseen?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.  
  
His aide shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Shall I arrange the meeting?"  
  
Tadace stood up, pocketing the chip. "No. I will take care of it." He pulled his jacket on, quickly fastening it as he headed for the door. "Make sure everything is prepared for Captain Raseen's arrival. I want a phalanx of guards in place for the prisoners protection." He looked at his aide. "They may be traitors, but we are still a civilized society and I am afraid things may get a bit out of hand.  
  
She nodded in understanding. "Yes, sir." She turned on one heel, proceeding Tadace from his office.  
  
Tadace headed up the corridor, his face a mask of perfect calm, although his insides roiled with the disaster of Raseen's appearance and Tauvo's capture. The younger of the Crais brother's was like a son to him and he had taken the time to train Tauvo to lead the resistance. The fact that Bialar had also joined was a definite plus. He stepped into the office at the end of the corridor and looked at the woman sitting there. "Councilman Sulan."  
  
Sulan turned at Tadace's voice, gracing him with one of her smiles. "Borin." He motioned around the room with his hand and she chuckled. "You are only the second person to be here since I arrived this morning and swept the room. What is on your mind?" Sulan was one of the resistance's backers, as crafty and sly as Tadace himself and devoutly loyal to the leader of the Peacekeeper Council.  
  
He approached her desk, sliding the vid-chip into the viewer at her right. They watched as the picture cleared.  
  
"That's Bialar Crais," she said softly, looking up at Tadace. Tadace nodded and she returned her attention to the vid-chip.  
  
"Borin. I hope this finds you still in good health," Crais started. "I know Gregon Shantar has already contacted you and that you are aware of the problems we had on the Gammack base. Your nephew and Lorac Mane are safe on Zorosa 3. Captain Raseen took prisoner my brother and Sr. Officer Sun during the break. There was also another woman taken prisoner." Crais straightened in the video. "The other woman was injured and is the cousin of John Crichton. Crichton and I are on our way to Peacekeeper High Command to…liberate Sr. Officer Sun and Commander Crais. Your help would be most appreciated. I will wait for your signal and direction." The video ended.  
  
Tadace leaned on the console behind him, shaking his head. "Headstrong. He hasn't changed a bit."  
  
Sulan turned in her seat to look up at Tadace. "What do you suggest?"  
  
Tadace rubbed his chin, thinking. "Send him a coded message telling him to meet me at the refreshment house on the far end of the square. He'll know where."  
  
Sulan nodded. "And this other prisoner? Has Raseen given you any indication who the woman is?"  
  
Tadace gazed down at Sulan, tucking a piece of her slightly graying hair back behind her ear. "Her name is Morgan Langtree. Raseen claims the woman is Bialar's wife."  
  
  
  
Crichton slumped over the drink in front of him, the hood of his rain cloak pulled low over his head. The refreshment house Crais had led him to was seedy and it surprised the human that there were places like this even of the home world of Peacekeeper High Command. "Are you sure he's going to show up?"  
  
Crais glanced at him, his own hood shadowing his face. They could hear the rain pelting down outside, offering the best solution to hide their identities in the heavy rain cloaks Crais had stashed aboard Talyn. "Tadace will be here." The Captain sipped the drink in front of him, setting the bottle down softly on the table as he licked his lips, watching the door, both men sitting with their backs to the wall.  
  
Crichton watched as Crais twisted the gold band around his finger. It was the only outward sign he gave to show his apprehension. Both of them had been on edge since they had entered Peacekeeper space five arns earlier. "Anything from Morgan?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Crais shook his head. "Nothing more than the faint signal Talyn found yesterday. But it is still steady. The only thing I can determine is that Morgan is just within sensor range or she is barely alive." He straightened as the door opened, a gust of wind blowing rain in behind a tall man as he entered the establishment.  
  
Tadace walked to the bar, taking the bottle of raslak the barkeep slid to him. He leaned back against the railing, looking around, water dripping from his slicker. There were only a handful of patrons in the refreshment house, none of them Peacekeepers, which was why he picked that place. Slowly, he walked over to the table Crais and Crichton were at. "Terrible weather for this time of year," he commented nonchalantly, sitting down.  
  
"It could be worse," Crais answered. "Were you followed?"  
  
"No." Tadace took a sip of the raslak, letting the liquor warm his insides as it slid down. "You must be Crichton," he said, gazing at the human. Crichton nodded. "The carrier is about seven arns out. I expected you sooner."  
  
Crais smiled ruefully. "We ran into a few problems." He didn't elaborate, knowing that Tadace would be aware of the patrols they had eluded. His dark eyes met the councilman's. "Any word on the prisoners?"  
  
Tadace looked back and forth between Crichton and Crais, leaning forward. "Tauvo and Aeryn are fine. Raseen feels that justice can only be served by using them to set an example to the others." Tadace scowled. "It is officers like her that make me want to see this resistance and the reform that needs to follow it all the way through."  
  
Crichton chuckled softly. "You used to be like that, Crais."  
  
Crais glared at Crichton. "Once. Before you stormed into my part of the universe and realigned my orderly world." He turned his attention back to Tadace. "Borin, have you confirmed the identity of the other prisoner?" he asked quietly, trying to settle the gnawing feeling in his gut.  
  
Tadace studied the ex-Peacekeeper, noticing the changes that had taken place. He could see it in Crais' eyes, the easier set of his jaw. He reached out, grasping Crais' wrist and pushing back the sleeve of his jacket beneath the cloak, revealing the bonding tattoo. "So, it is true. You did marry. I though the rumors were exactly that, rumors." He released Crais, sighing, his expression softening. "The other prisoner is Morgan Langtree, Bialar, your wife." He paused, taking a drink of his raslak. "She is alive, but without immediate medical attention, I am not sure for how long. Raseen gave us no indication of the severity of her wound."  
  
Crais sighed, dropping his gaze momentarily to the table.  
  
Crichton looked at his former nemesis, laying a hand on his shoulder in support as he addressed Tadace. "Where will they take them?"  
  
"They will bring them to the main barracks, and then to the holding cells below. I already have a phalanx of guards standing by with instructions to escort Morgan to the infirmary." He slid a chip to Crais. "Everything you need to infiltrate the detention center is on there. You will not have much time. They are scheduled to face the inquisitors and the Council in the morning." He stood up. "I must go before I am missed." He nodded to the two men, slipping out the door without a backward glance.  
  
Crais looked at Crichton. "Shall we?"  
  
  
  
Morgan followed Aeryn off the transport pod, Tauvo behind her. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes at the Peacekeepers lined up along the path, catching their first look at the resistance members that had been captured. If any of them knew her true identity, they would never get through the crowd.  
  
A phalanx of Peacekeepers surrounded them at the bottom of the stone staircase that led up into the main council building. Raseen and her men followed behind, accepting congratulations from the council members as they were led into the main foyer, stopping at a security checkpoint. Morgan felt a tickle in the back of her mind and she clenched her hand to keep from reaching back to the transponder.  
  
"Do as they say," a voice whispered in her mind, Crais' voice. "Trust me."  
  
"Where are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"  
  
There was a moment of silence. "I'm close by. Crichton and I are here to rescue you. Just do as they say. You must trust me."  
  
Morgan's eyes swept the huge room, but it was hard for her to see through the guards. She glanced back at Tauvo as she stepped up to the security console. The guard on duty, a husky man with a scowl, ripped the iden-chip from her neck, sliding it into the scanner. Her eyes met Aeryn's.  
  
"Are you deaf? I said, place your hand in the system for the DNA scan!" he barked. "Now traitor!" When Morgan didn't move fast enough for him, he grabbed her wrist, forcing her hand in the slot. The machine began to wail as it read her DNA, not recognizing the human patterns. The guard released her, Tauvo pulling her behind him.  
  
"Move traitor!" he growled, pushing Tauvo aside, grabbing Morgan by the collar and jerking her forward. Two other guards restrained Aeryn and Tauvo as they moved towards Morgan. "Name, rank and regiment!"  
  
"That will not be necessary, Lieutenant." Councilman Sulan's voice rang through the huge room, resounding off the columns and the curved ceiling. "She has no rank and regiment that would matter to us." She walked calmly over the guard and Morgan, her brown eyes kind in her stern face as she looked at Morgan. "She is not Sebacean." She snapped her fingers, her eyes meeting Tauvo's as another guard came over to process him, the two Peacekeeper officers that had accompanied her flanking Morgan. "Please take Captain Langtree to the infirmary."  
  
Raseen pushed her way through the crowd, her eyes blazing in fury although her face betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "She is a traitor and a member of the resistance. She can rot with the other prisoners, Councilman," she yelled, pointing to Morgan.  
  
Sulan stepped up to Raseen. She hated her, hated her with a passion, although the Captain had no idea why. And Sulan would bend over backwards to supply any aid to Bialar Crais and his family, including killing Captain Jira Raseen herself. She stopped within denches of Raseen, her eyes narrowing threateningly. "Captain Raseen, you have little authority here. She is not Sebacean and requires further study. She has a wound that you neglected to have treated and it must be taken care of." Sulan crossed her arms, her voice dropping. "We are still civilized, even to our enemies. And I would have thought that her health would be a concern to you since Scorpius has offered you a considerable commendation for her capture." She paused, tilting her chin slightly. "Any other objections you would like to voice, Captain?" Sulan spat.  
  
Raseen's nostrils flared as she glanced at Morgan. "No, Councilman."  
  
Sulan nodded. "Then my advice to you would be to return to your ship until you are summoned by the council. Do I make myself clear?" Sulan waited until Raseen nodded. She looked at the security chief. "Captain Langtree has been remanded to my custody for medical treatment. Finish processing the others."  
  
Morgan's eyes met Tauvo's and he nodded, winking at her, a small smile on his face. She wondered what her brother-in-law knew and she watched as Aeryn and Tauvo were led away in the other direction. Morgan turned her head to find Raseen glowering at her. When she made sure no one was looking, the Captain mouthed the words 'I will kill you' at Morgan. Morgan simply smiled, her eyes narrowed as she nodded. "You'll try," she whispered as Raseen stormed away.  
  
Sulan took Morgan's arm gently. "Come. We must attend to that wound." They walked down the corridor to a lift, going up a few levels and exiting into the infirmary, the smell of antiseptic wafting strongly from the room. "Dr. Lias," Sulan called out.  
  
Dr. Lias turned at Sulan's voice, handing the medic standing next to her the clipboard she had been studying. "Councilman Sulan. I take it this is the prisoner we discussed earlier." She led them to an examining room, the door closing behind them as the two officers took up flanking positions outside.  
  
Sulan reached out, a small device in her hand as she swept the room for bugs. Satisfied the room was clean, she crossed her arms and nodded, leaning against the wall. "Well, Captain Crais, you seem to have made a formidable enemy in Jira Raseen."  
  
Morgan looked at Sulan. "How do you know who I am?" She placed her hands on her hips as she studied the Councilman. "And who are you?" Dr. Lias motioned for Morgan to sit on the examining table and she slowly jumped up, her eyes never leaving Sulan. She winced slightly as the doctor pulled the fabric of her tank top away from the wound, cutting the material to inspect the lesion.  
  
Sulan laughed, a warm and relaxing sound. "I'm a friend. And I know a great deal about you," she answered softly. "My name is Sulan. I am old friend of your husbands."  
  
Morgan snorted. "There seem to be a lot of those 'old friends' popping up lately," she commented, glancing down to momentarily watch the doctor.  
  
Sulan nodded, stepping up to stand next to the examining table. "When Tauvo contacted us and informed us that he had found Bialar, he told us what he knew about you. Dr. Lias and I work with the resistance movement. And you, Morgan, are still an enigma to us, as is your cousin."  
  
Dr. Lias numbed Morgan's shoulder, preparing to lance the pulse blast wound. "Ah, but not for much longer." She peered up at the human woman. "You are the lucky one. We can't get to Aeryn and Tauvo. Hopefully Bialar and Crichton can." She wiped at the ooze, laying an antiseptic soaked pad over the wound. Dr. Lias took Morgan's hand and laid it over the bandage. "Hold that."  
  
"Yeah, real lucky," Morgan whispered. She felt a wave of nausea come over her and carefully laid back, fighting the bile that was rising in her throat. She closed her eyes. She knew Crais and Crichton would try to rescue them, but the growing edginess she felt was only getting worse.  
  
Sulan patted her free hand. "Rest." She gazed at the bonding tattoo around the younger woman's wrist, a wistful feeling quickly passing through her as she walked over to where Dr. Lias stood studying the DNA scan from the security station. "Well?" she asked quietly.  
  
Dr. Lias shook her head. She peered over at Morgan, then back to the screen. "The…similarities between their physiology and our own are…" she shrugged, "…staggering. Same skeletal structure, same neurological base, with minor variations, such as the…body heat regulating system they have that we don't. But, they are missing some of the regenerative cells we carry." She looked at Sulan. "Even the blood mixtures are very close."  
  
Sulan's eyes narrowed slightly as Dr. Lias moved to another analysis screen. She gazed back at Morgan quizzically, before returning her attention to the monitor. "Close enough to be compatible?"  
  
Dr. Lias consulted another monitor, nodding. "Yes." She saw the look on Sulan's face as she gazed at Morgan. She too looked at the human woman dozing quietly behind them. "What's the matter?"  
  
Sulan pointed to the monitor, her eyes meeting the doctors. "Is that what I think that is?" she whispered.  
  
Dr. Lias gazed at the screen, tapping a few buttons to enhance the image. She wiped her mouth, squeezing her lower lip between her fingers as she waited for the computer to return the answer to Sulan's question. "Holy frell," she hissed. She looked up Sulan.  
  
Sulan nodded. "We need to get her out of here."  
  
  
  
  
  
Crais led Crichton away from the council building, hugging the shadowy walls as they slipped up the alley. The rain had finally lightened and Crais knew she had heard him. He only hoped she listened. They found the maintenance hatch quickly, the alley dark and fairly dry, protected from the rain by the surrounding buildings. Crais checked his timepiece. "We have two arns to get in and out." He knelt down, tapping in the number sequence Tadace had provided them.  
  
Crichton watched the alley, standing guard, the pulse rifle in his hands slick. "Hey Crais. How are we going to get to Morgan in the infirmary?" he asked conversationally.  
  
The hatch popped open with a hiss of expelled air, dank and oddly sweet. He waited until Crichton had climbed down, dropping to the ground behind him and pulling the hatch shut. "According to the information Tadace provided, the doctor and another councilman are with the resistance. They will…get Morgan to safety." He triggered the portable light in his hand, shining it up the corridor.  
  
Crichton looked at him. "You are not happy with this plan, are you?"  
  
Crais' eyes met his. "Are you?" he simply asked, pushing past the human, his pulse pistol grasped tightly and at the ready.  
  
"Not exactly," Crichton answered, following the Captain.  
  
The maintenance corridor was dimly lit, with a warren of cross-corridors and dead ends. A few rooms opened up off the main hall, filled with unused equipment and furniture. The two men moved swiftly through the first level, exiting the lift two levels up into a darker corridor than the one they had come from. An underlying humming permeated the air, causing the hair on the back of Crichton's neck to stand on end.  
  
Crais slowed his pace as they neared an intersection in the corridor. He pocketed the light, gripping his pulse pistol in both hands as he looked both ways, crossing the hall and waiting for Crichton. They moved on, taking care to hug the wall at each floor grating above them. "Crichton?" Crais asked suddenly. Something had been nagging at him ever since they had left his home world.  
  
"What?"  
  
Crais stopped, turning to look at him, his expression one of curiosity mingled with amusement. "Where did you get your…information about Morgan's problem?"  
  
Crichton stared at him, his mouth opening in shock. "Hell of a time to ask me that," he stammered as they began walking again.  
  
"Just answer me," Crais snapped.  
  
"My dad. My aunt told him." He stared at Crais' back in confusion. "Why?"  
  
The ex-Peacekeeper backed up against the wall, peering around the corridor. He crossed the intersection, Crichton behind him, standing across from each other in the faint light. "Because she told me you were…frelled in the head."  
  
"You asked her?" he hissed in disbelief as they turned up a corridor, the sounds above them getting louder as the shift changed for the night.  
  
Crais smiled to himself. "Ever since she modified the transponders, it is…very difficult to keep things from her," he answered, canting his head slightly. He glanced over his shoulder. "She says it's a condition you call endometriosis. I'm surprised Morgan doesn't have your nimvoks in a sling for telling me the wrong thing."  
  
Crichton shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time." He gazed around Crais, moving past him as they planned when they neared the final turn. The corridor ended in a ladder that led up into the detention area. Crichton jogged down the hall, looking up through the grate, watching. The thrumming noise was all around him now, the equipment that kept the council building and it's complex operational right below him. "It's clear." He waited, watching. No Crais. Crichton shook his head and looked towards the corridor turn. "Crais!" he hissed. When the Captain didn't answer, Crichton moved back to the intersection. Leaning against the wall, pulse rifle held up beside him, he slowly peered around the corner.  
  
And found Crais being dragged by two heavily armed Peacekeepers. "Shit!" he whispered. He crossed the corridor, watching as Crais managed to fire off one shot, taking out one of the Peacekeepers. But two more took his place, swarming up the hall. One of them slammed the butt of his pulse pistol into the back of Crais' head, knocking him out, another shining a light in Crichton's direction. He jerked back quickly, taking off up the hallway, staying in the shadows, breaking into a run as some of the guards pursued him. He slipped into a doorway, flattening himself against it in the dark as they ran past. "This is just what I frelling need."  
  
  
  
Dr. Lias hurried down the corridor, Morgan and Sulan's officers behind her. She didn't tell the human woman about her current condition, wanting to make sure she was safe and out of harm's way first. Sulan and Tadace knew. Lias had opted not to tell Langtree right away, knowing that she would need her mind on escaping. She slid her iden-chip in the slot, the door before her unlatching.  
  
"Where is this going to take us?" Morgan asked as one of the officers removed the restraints from her wrists. She took the pulse pistol he handed her, quickly securing the gun belt around her waist and checking the charge. Lias had managed to buy Morgan a few arns of peaceful sleep, once Talyn quieted himself after picking up Morgan's signal and communicating with her. She had the leviathan gunship to thank for the energy she now possessed, Talyn sending what he could to strengthen her, anxious to have her and Crais back on board and away from Peacekeeper High Command. She shared his sentiments.  
  
"Down below the complex. This is the same way Crichton and Crais came in. It is an unused maintenance corridor," Lias answered as she unholstered her pulse pistol. "It is usually not guarded, and when it is, not heavily." The two officers left Morgan and Lias, returning to Sulan. Lias motioned for Morgan to follow, taking her pace up to a brisk jog. She turned a corridor, slowing, listening, her hand raised to Morgan behind her.  
  
Both women flattened themselves against the hall, unsure where in the warren of tunnels the voices were coming from. Morgan looked past the doctor. "There's someone else down here," she whispered.  
  
Lias nodded as the voices echoed through the halls. "We'll have to go around the long way." She doubled back, slower this time and taking a right turn, coming up short and getting off one shot.  
  
Morgan ducked back, peering around the corner and firing as well, watching as a Peacekeeper fell in a heap on the floor. She covered Lias as the doctor made her way back, taking cover behind the wall. "Looks like Captain Raseen," Morgan yelled above the gunfire. She cringed as one bolt hit close to her, her eyes burning from the smoke. "Any other ideas?"  
  
Lias shook her head. "I'm not trained for this Morgan.  
  
"Great," Morgan mumbled, leaning around the corner and firing again.  
  
"Morgan Langtree!" Raseen's voice called. The firing from the other Peacekeepers halted. Raseen propped her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Morgan, I know you are there."  
  
Morgan and Lias exchanged glances, their hearts racing in the darkness as they leaned against the walls. Lias motioned for her to go, pointing down the corridor they had been traversing. The human shook her head, refusing to leave the doctor. She leaned her head against the wall. "What do you want, Raseen?"  
  
Raseen smiled viciously. "To see you dead."  
  
Morgan laughed. "The feeling is mutual." She quickly leaned around the corner of the wall, firing off one shot and ducking back.  
  
Raseen scratched her cheek, shifting position so that all her weight was on one foot. "Captain Langtree, I don't think you want to do that again. You may hit your beloved husband next time," she called.  
  
Morgan's lips pursed. "That bitch," she hissed. She reached out, trying to find Crais through the link, but everything was blurry. "Bialar?" she yelled. "Answer me!"  
  
Crais glared at Raseen from where the guards held him, just out of the line of fire. "She's not bluffing Morgan."  
  
"Damn," she whispered when she heard a grunt behind her as one of the Peacekeepers jabbed the butt of his pulse rifle into Crais' side. Morgan looked at Lias, motioning for her to go back the way they had come. "Get…help," she mouthed. Lias nodded, taking off.  
  
"You only have two choices, Langtree. Give yourself up and face the inquisitors with the others or live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you killed your husband because you were too stubborn to cooperate. I'm going to give you twenty microts to make up your mind."  
  
Morgan closed her eyes as Raseen counted. She wondered where Crichton was and used the neural link to scan the group with Raseen, looking for his bio- signature. It wasn't there, which meant they still had a chance. She tossed the pulse pistol up the corridor, slowly raising her hands in surrender as she stepped to the middle of the hall, knowing that Raseen's men had ample opportunity to shoot her. "You wouldn't kill him, Raseen. You want Crais all to yourself," Morgan taunted, her eyes meeting Crais'.  
  
Raseen smiled as the Peacekeepers bound Morgan's hands, stepping up to her, her eyes hard and calculating. "On the contrary, you're welcome to him. I will enjoy watching you die in Scorpius' Aurora chair." She turned on one heel, marching up the corridor.  
  
Hidden in the shadows, his hand firmly wrapped over Dr. Lias' mouth, Crichton watched as Raseen and her men herded Crais and Morgan back to the detention area. He looked at the doctor, holding her tight against him. "You're with the resistance?" he whispered. Lias nodded her head. "Good. Then you can help me free them." 


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
Crichton paced around Sulan's office, chewing on his thumb. He glanced at Dr. Lias sitting calmly on the leather settee just inside the door. He was hungry, he was tired and he was mad. "How long is it going to take for her to get here?" he snapped irritably.  
  
Lias shrugged. "She was asleep when she received the message. Give her…" Her words drifted off as Sulan and Tadace strode in. She stood up, handing the bug sweeper to Sulan. Lias refused to take any chances with the security of the resistance.  
  
"Well, this has turned into a fine mess," Tadace commented, resting one hip on Sulan's desk. He rubbed the bridge of his patrician nose, sighing. "There is no way we can get to them now. Security has been heightened, thanks to Raseen's capture of Crais and Morgan." He turned hard eyes on Crichton. "How? How, in Cholak's name, did Bialar manage to let them sneak up on him?"  
  
Crichton ran his fingers through his hair, his temper flaring. "Well, it's not exactly quiet down there! Raseen's men had to have been following us!"  
  
Tadace rose. "Which means she knows that you are here…" he motioned with his finger in a circular fashion, "…somewhere in this frelling complex! It was supposed to have been a simple rescue, Crichton! It's not like Bialar to frell something like this up!"  
  
Crichton moved towards Tadace. "Are you accusing me? You saying it's my fault?" he yelled, poking Tadace in the chest. "After what Crais has put me through over the last few cycles, it's taken a lot for me to trust his sorry ass! And you are not laying the blame for this on my shoulders! Got that, mister high and mighty Councilman?"  
  
Sulan stepped between the two men, laying a calming hand on both of their chests. "Gentlemen, this is not getting us anywhere. We still have a plan to finalize if we intend on rescuing them and only a few arns to do it in," she said soothingly, her voice soft. She gazed up at Tadace. "Have you heard from Shantar?"  
  
Tadace's eyes narrowed at Crichton before turning to look at Sulan. "Yes. The resistance fleet has just moved into the sector. They are in place if needed."  
  
Sulan nodded. "Good." She looked at Crichton next. "And the gunship? Talyn?"  
  
"He's standing by. Crais left him on the dark side of the moon with instructions to respond to either one of our signals. He'll be ready to pick up whatever we manage to escape in since Raseen found and impounded our transport pod," Crichton answered.  
  
Sulan pursed her lips. "Fine. Then we go to the contingency plan."  
  
Tadace stared at her, returning to his seat on the corner of her desk. "That means exposing ourselves to the rest of the council," he commented softly. He watched as she moved past him to sit down. "What about your son?"  
  
Sulan took a deep breath. "He has already been removed from the ranks and is on his way to Zorosa 3." She tapped a few keys on her console, scanning the messages waiting for her, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Mmm, Scorpius is on his way." She flipped the monitor off. "We must move fast."  
  
"What do you suggest?" Dr. Lias finally asked, standing up and walking towards them.  
  
"We can't do anything until after the inquisition," Tadace answered, standing up to pace the room. "The inquisitors will not allow the sentence to be carried out until later in the evening."  
  
"How do you know that?" Crichton quipped, crossing his arms.  
  
Tadace just glared at him. "I just know." He turned to Sulan. "This is what we will do…"  
  
  
  
Morgan kept her chin held high as the guards marched her down the cellblock. She had no idea where they were taking her and they refused to speak to her, remaining silent as they led her through the soundless corridors of the complex. She had fallen asleep in her cell and was still annoyed at being so rudely awoken. They stopped in the middle of the corridor, removing her restraints before pushing her through the door.  
  
"Frelling rude son of…Ugh!" She rubbed her wrists, sighing as she shook her head. The skin around them was raw and she gazed at the bonding tattoo. "Dammit," she whispered.  
  
Crais sat up, gazing at her as he leaned one arm on the bench that served as a cot, watching her in the dim lights of the cell. She didn't realize he was there and he could only assume Tadace or Sulan was behind this conjugal visit. Unless someone else in the council was hoping they'd hear something interesting. Slowly, his body still sore from the beating Raseen's men had given him; he swung his legs over the edge and stood, moving quietly over to his wife.  
  
Morgan turned at his touch, staring up at him, the colored contacts long gone, her blue eyes searching his face as he cupped her cheek in his hand, his lips lowering to hers in a soft kiss. She chuckled quietly. "I'm still mad at you," she whispered, laying her head on his chest.  
  
Crais gazed down at her. "What for?"  
  
"Playing patsy to Raseen on the gammak base. And letting her kiss you"  
  
Crais held Morgan out at arms length, his eyes locking with hers. "You know I love you. And…I thought I had lost you," he answered, stroking her hair. "I thought she killed you."  
  
"No. Just wounded me, that's all." She shrugged. "I zigged when I should have zagged." Morgan licked her lips. "What's gonna happen now?"  
  
Crais shook his head. "We will face the inquisitors and when they have the information they want, we will be executed," he whispered. He stroked his thumb gently over her bruised cheekbone. "And you will be turned over to Scorpius."  
  
"But, what about…"  
  
Crais shook his head again, looking briefly up with his eyes as he laid his thumb over her lips. He raised his eyebrows in question.  
  
Morgan nodded, understanding what he was telling her. They were being observed. She took his hand and led him back to the bench, allowing Crais to enfold her in his arms. She reached her hand around to the transponder at the base of his neck, removing it and sliding it under her hand as she settled herself on his lap, Her legs straddling his, her back to the door and the camera. Morgan studied the transponder, shaking her head. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit," she whispered in frustration. "I can't fix it without my tools. There's two many broken wires."  
  
Crais took the offending piece of equipment back, returning it to its cradle. You can still contact him?" She shook her head as he looked up at her. "If anything is going to happen, it will be right after the inquisition."  
  
"Are you sure about that?" she whispered.  
  
Crais nodded. "We will get out of here," he answered, letting his hands drift up from her waist, undoing the jacket she was wearing. "I promise."  
  
Morgan chuckled as she let the jacket fall to the floor. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Crais."  
  
He smiled slyly, a smile Morgan had come used to seeing. Crais carefully ran his fingers around the slow healing wound in her shoulder. It would scar and somehow he knew she would carry it as a badge of courage. Crais kissed her, pulling Morgan against him, holding her tightly as if it might be the last time he would ever feel her in his arms.  
  
Knowing that it could very well be.  
  
  
  
The council chamber was a large circular room beneath a high domed ceiling with enough seats to easily fit the entire United Nations and half the governing bodies of Earth within it. It was filled to capacity with representatives of every Peacekeeper controlled and protected world, the half-moon bench of the Council looming above all else. The inquisitors sat in the center of the moon, two men, two women, their faces set in grim and determined lines as they watched the prisoners being led in.  
  
Tadace was the last to take his seat, the room eerily still in the early morning. It was all he could do not to glance at Crais and his brother. "This inquisition will now come to order!" his voice boomed. He watched as everyone took their seats, the guards standing behind the prisoners pushing them down. "Captain Jira Raseen, you have brought before us four members of a resistance group that you took captive." He looked at her, wanting to wipe the smug expression from her face. "Is there any other pertinent information about them that you wish to add before we begin?"  
  
Raseen stood. "No, Councilman Tadace. I believe the facts that have been presented are complete."  
  
Tadace nodded, trying to control the shaking in his hands. "Then we may proceed."  
  
The first inquisitor, Shara Maki, stood up. "Members of the Council, I wish to direct my initial questions to Captain Bialar Crais." Crais stood and moved forward, his hands still in restraints before him. Shara looked down at him. "Captain Crais, you were in charge of a Leviathan prisoner ship that escaped. Please tell the Council the events that led up to your being declared irreversibly contaminated by the Peacekeeper Scorpius."  
  
As Crais began the tale of his first encounter with Crichton, the human and Dr. Lias approached the empty gallery above the chamber, the guards that were spaced around its entrance Tadace's men. Crichton dropped to his stomach, Lias to his right, Shantar and five others spaced out around them. The resistance group had come in under the planetary defense screens as a cargo carrier, meeting with Lias and the others arns before the beginning of the inquisition. Crichton gazed at her quickly. "Why do they want to know all this?" he whispered.  
  
Lias looked at him. "They are giving him a chance to defend himself. As they will all of them. Tauvo will be the one they have a problem with."  
  
Shara turned to the other inquisitors. "And…you have been bonded with an alien woman, a…" she checked the monitor in front of her, "…human?"  
  
Crais glanced at Morgan. "Yes." He set his jaw in determination. They were not going to take him down or humiliate him.  
  
The inquisitors conferred for a moment, one of the men, Telor Joice, standing. "Captain Crais, is it true that you first learned of the resistance movement from your brother, whom you believed to be dead?"  
  
Crais nodded. "I was deceived by my brother during the Leviathan's escape."  
  
The man looked at Shara and nodded. "That is all." He looked up at Tadace. "We wish to question Officer Aeryn Sun next." Aeryn took her place at the stand, her own face in set lines of determination. "Officer Sun, as a child, you were approached by a woman Peacekeeper, Officer Xhalax Sun. What do you remember of this encounter?"  
  
Aeryn tilted her head. "Nothing," she lied. "It was nothing more than a dream to me."  
  
Telor took a deep breath. "And when you saw her again, during the attempt to recapture the hybrid leviathan gunship Talyn? What happened then?"  
  
Aeryn clenched her fists. "Sr. Officer Sun attempted to…disable the gunship and capture Captain Crais, Commander John Crichton and myself." She purposefully neglected to mention Rygel and Stark.  
  
"Officer Sun, Sr. Officer Sun reported you dead. Why would she have lied?" Shara asked quietly.  
  
A whisper of surprise echoed through the chamber. "I do not know. Maybe she actually had feelings for the life she had given birth," she snapped angrily. "Maybe her training never took hold."  
  
The whisper in the chamber grew louder at Aeryn's blasphemous words. "Silence! SILENCE!" Tadace ordered. The room quickly quieted and he gazed at the inquisitors. "Is there a purpose in this line of questioning?"  
  
Telor looked up at Tadace. "Councilmen Tadace, Officer Sun's relationship with her mother may bear some light on why she disobeyed a direct order from Captain Crais to return to the command carrier after the Leviathan escape." He gazed at the prisoners. "We believe that Officer Sun and Captain Crais knew of the resistance and therefore disobeyed a direct order from High Command to cease their pursuit of the Leviathan in order to join the newly formed resistance." He handed a sheaf of plastic forms to Tadace. "There is ample evidence that many of Captain Crais' own crew were members of the resistance faction."  
  
Crichton rubbed his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Oh, he didn't know anything about it. He just wanted to kill me," he murmured.  
  
Crais was thinking the same thing and his eyes met Aeryn's as she returned to her seat. He looked at Morgan sitting next to him. She was pale, dark circles beneath her eyes. Crais leaned towards her. "What is the matter?"  
  
Her eyes remained forward, focused on some unseen point against the bench. "I feel like I'm gonna barf."  
  
Shara looked at Aeryn. "Officer Sun, one last question. Where is the human known as John Crichton?"  
  
Aeryn never flinched. "I do not know. The last I saw him was with Captain Crais."  
  
Shara's eyebrows rose as she looked at Crais. "Captain?"  
  
Crais tilted his head. "I killed him."  
  
Morgan bit her lower lip, trying not to smile.  
  
Shara opened her mouth in surprise as the crowd in the room erupted in shock. She looked at Telor questioningly. The man just shrugged.  
  
Crichton chuckled. "My boy Crais," he whispered, shaking his head. He looked to Shantar, giving the Sebacean a thumbs-up. With little effort, Crichton lifted the pulse rifle to his shoulder, waiting.  
  
Telor cleared his throat, embarrassment plain on his face. "Officer Tauvo Crais, please approach."  
  
Tauvo stood, moving forward. "It's Commander Tauvo Crais," he corrected, his face a mask of resolve.  
  
"Officer Crais, we do not recognize your rank within the resistance," Shara remarked.  
  
Tauvo looked at her, a sinister smile on his face. "Then I do not recognize this inquisition as a legal proceeding against me."  
  
Crais lowered his head, shaking it as he exhaled in frustration at his brother's answer. He was going to get them all killed.  
  
The room once again burst into an outraged din. Tadace peered at Sulan, trying to contain the smile that threatened to crease his face. "Order!" He pointed at Tauvo. "Simply answer the questions, Officer Crais!"  
  
Tauvo's smile never left his face. "As you wish." He turned to Shara expectantly.  
  
"Officer Crais, what is the current location of the resistance base?"  
  
Tauvo simply shrugged. "I do not know."  
  
The other woman inquisitor looked up. "You do not know?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Tauvo clasped his restrained hands together. "I have never been there. I receive my orders and I do as I am told from my ship," he answered vaguely.  
  
Morgan leaned towards Crais. "What is he doing?" she whispered.  
  
"Being stupid," Crais answered, the guard behind them pushing them apart.  
  
"Officer Crais, who do you receive these orders from?" Telor asked, stroking his chin in thought.  
  
Tauvo laughed. "You seem to think that I am going to willingly expose the leaders of the resistance. No amount of questioning will make me do that." Tauvo's eyes hardened and narrowed. "Not even Scorpius' Aurora chair will make me give up that information."  
  
Crichton shook his head. "Damn, you can tell those two are brothers." He looked at Shantar, his eyebrows raised in question. The ex- Peacekeeper shook his head, telling Crichton to wait.  
  
The inquisitors put their heads together, conferring, the room deathly still. Tadace and Sulan exchanged glances, their eyes meeting the other three members of the Council who were in on the resistance. Crais looked at Morgan, then to his brother as he returned to his seat. Shara stood up and cleared her throat after a few minutes of deliberation.  
  
"Would the prisoners please rise?" she called. "Captain Bialar Crais, you have been found guilty of disobeying a direct order from Peacekeeper High Command, consorting with unclassified alien life forms, namely John Crichton and Morgan Langtree, deeming you irreversibly contaminated, murder of your second-in-command, Lt. Teeg, and theft of Peacekeeper property, namely the hybrid gunship named Talyn. You are hereby sentenced to death."  
  
Telor stood next, moving to stand next to Shara. "Officer Aeryn Sun, you have been found guilty of consorting with unclassified alien life forms, namely John Crichton and Morgan Langtree, deeming you irreversibly contaminated, murder of a senior officer, your mother, Sr. Officer Xhalax Sun on the planet Valldon…"  
  
Aeryn's mouth dropped open. "I did not murder my mother. She was trying to kill me and Captain Crais shot her trying to save me."  
  
Telor's eyes narrowed. "While you were both were evading capture. You are also charged with conspiracy against Peacekeeper High Command and hereby sentenced to death."  
  
Shara looked at Tauvo. "Officer Tauvo Crais…"  
  
"Commander," Tauvo butted in.  
  
She pursed in lips in annoyance. "You have been found guilty of consorting with unclassified alien life forms, namely John Crichton and Morgan Langtree, deeming you irreversibly contaminated, conspiracy against Peacekeeper High Command and traitorous acts against the Peacekeepers. You are hereby sentenced to death." Shara sat down, Telor right behind her.  
  
Tadace looked at Sulan. "If there are no further questions from the inquisitors, we shall call this to an end. Sentence will be carried…"  
  
"Whoa there hoss," Morgan called, standing up and walking towards the bench.  
  
"Morgan! What are you doing?" Crais hissed.  
  
She waved her bound hands back at him. "What about me? You've passed judgment on Aeryn and Tauvo and Crais. But what about me?"  
  
Crichton banged his head on the deck. "Morgan, shut up," he whispered, his forehead wrinkling in frustration.  
  
"What about you, human?" Telor asked, standing back up.  
  
"She gets that from the Langtree side of the family," Crichton murmured.  
  
Morgan's temper flared. "You say the word 'human' like it was a bad thing. Well, for one thing, I have a name. It's Morgan. Morgan Langtree- Crais. Captain, a rank I earned in the United States Air Force and IASA on the planet Earth. A rank I worked my tail off to earn, just like my cousin did," she emphasized. "Yeah, according to you my race is unclassified. I'm an alien," she said, her voice getting louder.  
  
"Morgan!" Crais snapped, through clenched teeth.  
  
"Well, guess what? To my race, you're the alien." A murmur went through the crowd. Tadace dropped his head in his hand momentarily. "Neither John nor I expected to be dumped in this little corner of the universe but here we are. So…" she paused for emphasis. "What gives you the right to infer that I am a lower-class life form compared to you Sebaceans?"  
  
"Morgan!" Crais warned.  
  
Morgan looked directly at Telor, not giving the man a chance to respond. "Let me tell you something, Mr. Inquisitor. One my planet, I was the leading scientist in cybernetics. My cousin was the leading scientist in his field. We broke the barriers of our own solar system. And you call us inferior."  
  
"Get 'em Morgan," Crichton whispered.  
  
"Am I not good enough to be questioned?" she asked, her eyes flaring. She pointed to herself. "I know it's not because I'm female. You have definitely broke the gender mold out here."  
  
Shara stood up. "Captain Langtree, you fate has already been decided. You are to be remanded to Scorpius for study," she remarked quietly.  
  
Morgan nodded, pushing her tongue under her lower lip for a moment. "Sucks to be me, then, huh? When you say study, you mean what? Dissected? Torn apart limb from limb to see that my physiology is pretty FRELLING CLOSE TO YOURS?" she screamed.  
  
"Morgan!" Crais bellowed.  
  
She whirled around and faced him. "Shut up, Crais!"  
  
"Captain Langtree, you do not know the gravity of your situation," Telor said.  
  
Morgan looked at him. "Oh really? I think I do." Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the inquisitor. "Scorpy gets a hold of me and I go right into the Aurora chair. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars." She slammed her fist on the railing. "He gets the wormhole formula and boom, more worlds for the militaristic bullies of this end of the universe to conquer and enslave."  
  
"Oh Morgan, shut up," Crichton wished. He looked at Lias, surprised to see a smile on the doctor's face. The feisty human woman was getting the council and inquisitors nervous.  
  
"You know what? There once was an organization like you guys on my world. About sixty, maybe seventy cycles ago that enslaved and exterminated almost an entire race of people because one man didn't like their religion. You think we're so inferior, let me enlighten you on something. We bombed the dren out of those idiots and that country is only now starting to see some prosperity. You guys are worse, because you enslave your people under the flag of a peaceful military that forces them to pay for protection with the blood, sweat and tears of their young. The people of my planet would never stand for that and they'd rise up against you in a heartbeat." She snapped her fingers in emphasis. "I'd rather die side by side with Aeryn, Bialar and Tauvo then to give Scorpius the wormhole formula so you can go and enslave more worlds."  
  
"Captain Langtree, are you quite finished?" one of the Councilman snapped.  
  
Morgan sucked her lower lip in thought. "No, come to think of it, I'm not."  
  
Crais looked up at the glass dome above them, shaking his head as Tauvo chuckled quietly beside him.  
  
"I have one other thing to say." Morgan turned and pointed at Raseen. "That little Peacekeeper wannabe, she killed Captain Lerin Kerick the commanding officer of your gammak base in the Qualni system. If you're going to hang Crais for killing Teeg, follow suite and hang Captain Raseen as well." She dropped her hands, turning and approaching Raseen, the railing between the prisoner area and the stands the only thing separating them. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Oh, and by the way, Bialar never really loved you!"  
  
Raseen's face grew red in fury. "How dare you!" she hissed, launching herself out of the seat she was in. Armed guards grabbed Raseen, pulling her back, restraining her.  
  
"Truth hurts, doesn't it Jira?" Morgan goaded, laughing. She looked at the members of the council. "You can sentence me to death, I don't care. I was a rogue on my own planet and I'm a rogue here. And I refuse to give Scorpius or the rest of you the satisfaction of winning." She laughed, walking back to Crais and planting a kiss soundly on his lips, sending the entire council chamber into an uproar. Morgan shook her head and looked back at the council. "For all I care, you can all get frelling stuffed."  
  
The words had barely left her mouth when all hell broke loose. 


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
The first blast from Crichton's pulse rifle hit the councilman to the right of Tadace. He smiled at Lias lying next to him. "Next!" The doctor pointed and Crichton fired again as Shantar and his men opened fire on the guards and the inquisitors.  
  
Crais dropped from the chair he had been sitting in, pulling Morgan down beneath him as the chamber erupted into chaos. "What the frell were you doing?" he yelled over the screaming representatives. The guards that had been standing behind them, Sulan's men and part of the resistance, had surrounded them, trying to protect the four prisoners. A set of keys fell to the floor in front of Crais.  
  
"What? You think I was going to let them just send me off to Scorpius without saying something? You frelling nuts?" she yelled back, turning over so that Crais could release her hands.  
  
Crais looked at her as he moved to sit on his knees, handing the keys to her. A slow smile spread across his face. "Sometimes I do not understand you, Morgan," he answered.  
  
She smiled, leaning forward to quickly kiss him. "You're not supposed to."  
  
Tauvo belly crawled over to them. "Uh, it might be a nice idea if we get out of here," he suggested calmly as Aeryn slid up next to him.  
  
Crais grabbed the pulse rifle from a falling guard as Morgan uncuffed Aeryn and Tauvo, the four of them slowly standing. People were screaming and running as Crichton and the resistance members took out the council. Those Peacekeepers not part of the resistance fired back, trying very hard to dispense with the guards surrounding the prisoners.  
  
Raseen saw her chance. She vaulted the railing, striding forward towards Morgan as the ground shook beneath them. The first of the explosives the resistance had set went off. She caught herself, pushing her way through the crowd, following the human and her companions as they blasted their way towards the door through which the council had entered. She noticed Sulan and tilted her head, wondering what the woman was doing. And why she was still alive when the bodies of the other council members littered the room.  
  
Tadace stood inside the door, waving to them to hurry as a second blast rocked the council building. He saw Raseen heading towards them. "Sulan!" he called, pointing.  
  
Sulan nodded, grabbing Crais' arm as he went past. "Bialar." Her eyes met his and she pressed a data chip into his hand, closing his fingers around it. "Make sure no one gets this." She nodded towards Morgan, who was jogging down the corridor behind the others. Sulan turned, closing and locking the door behind Crais. She looked at Raseen. "You can't have them, Raseen."  
  
"Get out of my way you frelling traitor," Raseen hissed, pushing Sulan to the side.  
  
Sulan pulled back and punched Raseen, knocking the woman backwards. She pursued Raseen, kicking the Captain as she fell, smiling at the grunt of pain emitted by the arrogant woman.  
  
Raseen reached out with her hand, grabbed Sulan's ankle and pulled, bringing the councilman down. "What are they to you?" she yelled, pouncing on Sulan and swinging, her hands pummeling the older woman's face.  
  
"Our salvation!" Sulan hissed. She looked up as the ground shuddered beneath them, and smiled, dropping her hands.  
  
Raseen looked at Sulan in confusion, then gazed up in enough time to see a beam of the domed ceiling come crashing down on top of them.  
  
  
  
As soon as Crichton saw Sulan close the door, he stood. "Time to rock and roll!" he yelled. They followed Dr. Lias back through the gallery, dodging falling rock and mortar as the building slowly began to cave in. He slapped his comm badge. "Talyn! Some help down here would be nice!"  
  
Shantar and his men followed Crichton and the doctor out into the open square of the council building. Sebaceans and aliens alike ran helter- skelter in a frenzy of confusion as they pushed their way through. A phalanx of Peacekeepers moved towards them, firing, not even worrying about whom they killed in the process. Shantar tapped Crichton's shoulder, ducking a pulse blast. "Raseen's men!" he yelled.  
  
Crichton looked around. "Where?"  
  
Shantar pulled him back as another one fired. "Over there!"  
  
They ducked behind a chunk of building that had fallen, returning the Peacekeepers fire. "We are in trouble," Crichton murmured. He looked around, noticing that Dr. Lias was missing. "Hey! Where's the doc?"  
  
Shantar winced as a blast sizzled over his head. "I thought she was with you," he answered, firing.  
  
Crichton peeked around the edge of the building remnant, his eyes spotting Lias. She was clutching her stomach, pulling herself slowly up a wall behind another piece of fallen debris. He looked at the Peacekeepers, fired once, and ran, sliding to a halt next to Lias. Crichton laid the rifle down, gently moving her hand from her stomach. "Aw man, this is not good," he commented, pulling off his jacket.  
  
Lias grabbed his wrist. "I'm dying Crichton. Just let me go." She pressed a data chip in his hand. "Get this off the planet. And take care of them." Dr. Lias took one last breath, her fingers slipping from Crichton's wrist.  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Crichton swore. Before he could rejoin Shantar and his men, he heard the high-pitched screech, a screech only a Leviathan could make when coming in fast and strong in the atmosphere. Crichton pressed himself up against the boulder, curling himself into a ball as Talyn opened fire.  
  
  
  
The landing bay where Tadace's personal transport was housed was filled with Raseen's Peacekeepers, waiting, watching for the escaped prisoners and their traitorous leader. The Captain had signaled them after Crais and the others escaped the council chamber, right before Sulan confronted her. They hid behind the small transport ship and in between the five Prowlers that were in the bay. The leader held his pulse rifle ready, and fired as soon as the door opened. She had ordered them to kill whoever came in that bay.  
  
Tadace drew back as the first guard hit the deck. "They will pick us off one by one this way," he commented, ducking further back in the corridor.  
  
Crais looked at Morgan. "Signal Talyn. Have him…"  
  
"I already did." She holstered the pulse pistol she scavenged. "It might be good idea to…"  
  
Talyn's first blast shook dirt from the corridor walls, causing a dust haze to filter out into the bay. "Come on," Tadace called, running out the door and along the wall as they returned fire.  
  
Talyn struck again, blowing out the automated doors, daylight filtering in, and revealing the hiding Peacekeepers. Smoke filled the air, the sounds of the wounded floating back to them.  
  
Morgan and Aeryn moved low along the wall, staying under cover as they moved towards two of the Prowlers. "Planning on a fight?" she asked the ex- Peacekeeper.  
  
Aeryn simply nodded. "I don't plan on being caught in an unarmed ship." She motioned towards the next Prowler and Morgan cautiously moved around the one Aeryn was about to climb into.  
  
Crais and Tauvo fired at the guards, the brothers easily picking them off one by one as Tadace worked his way towards another Prowler. He looked up in time to see one of the Peacekeepers approaching him and raised his own pulse pistol.  
  
But not in enough time. The guard fired, taking Councilman Borin Tadace, leader of Peacekeeper High Command, square in the chest. Tadace's body hit the wall with a sick thud.  
  
"No!" Tauvo yelled, standing up.  
  
Crais pulled his brother back down, struggling with him. "He's gone Tauvo!"  
  
"Let me go!"  
  
The bay suddenly went quiet and Crais and Tauvo looked up. The Peacekeeper who had killed Tadace stood over them, pulse rifle cocked and ready. "Get up." Slowly the brother's rose, dropping their weapons. "Face the…"  
  
Twin pulse pistol blasts echoed through the bay and the Peacekeeper froze in place, his eyes glazing over as a trickle of blood ran down his chin. He pitched forward, falling face first on the floor, Aeryn and Morgan standing together, their pulse pistols still raised, the last of Raseen's men dead.  
  
"Borin!" Tauvo cried, bolting away from Crais. He knelt next to Tadace, cradling the man's head in his lap. "We'll get you out of here," he said softly. Tauvo shook his head as he looked up at Crais.  
  
"No…Tauvo," Tadace choked. Blood speckled his lips as he looked up at Tauvo. Crais, Morgan and Aeryn surrounded him and he looked at all of them. "No." He reached out, motioning for Crais to come closer. Crais canted his head as he knelt. Tadace laid his hand on Crais' arm. "Listen…to…me. I…sent…Tauvo…to find you," he began, coughing, the breath rattling in his lungs. "You…must carry…this…on. I…am counting…" Tadace swallowed, pausing, "…on you to…lead…the resistance."  
  
Crais' eyebrows drew together in confusion and he shook his head slightly. "But Tauvo…"  
  
Tauvo looked at his brother. "No. We have always planned on you…"  
  
Tadace tightened his grip on Tauvo's arm, silencing him. "Bialar…you are…in charge…of the resistance…now. You must…protect the…next…generation,…the children. I am…leaving…you…in charge…of this…legacy. Say…you accept."  
  
Crais' eyes met Tauvo's, his younger brother nodding in encouragement. "I will, Borin. We will finish what you started," he answered softly.  
  
Tadace nodded, satisfied. "Good. You…are a…leader, Bialar." He coughed again, choking, his breath labored as he struggled to sit up. He motioned Crais closer. "Protect…all of them…including the humans…especially…Morgan. She…carries…" Tadace's eyes began to glaze and leaned back against Tauvo, "…the future…"  
  
Crais looked away as Tadace died. He reached out and closed the man's eyes and laid a hand on Tauvo's shoulder. "We must leave. Now."  
  
Tauvo nodded and gently lay Tadace down. He turned to move away and stopped, watching as Crais removed his jacket, a Peacekeeper uniform jacket that carried Captain's bars. Crais momentarily contemplated the bars on the sleeve, rubbing his thumb over them before laying it over Borin Tadace's still form, silently vowing that he would never again don another Peacekeeper uniform.  
  
  
  
Talyn flew over the city, firing on anything that looked like a Peacekeeper below him, leveling buildings, dodging fire from the Prowlers that had been scrambled to catch him and the others. The Leviathan was determined to get out of there. He had picked up Crichton, Shantar and the others, using his DRD's to lower lines to them. Now, he had to find Crais and Morgan.  
  
Crichton gazed at the system's console, looking for any sign of his cousin and the others. Talyn rocked beneath him and he held tight, looking out the viewport. "Hey Talyn, you planning on going around that building?" he asked conversationally. The gunship fired, the building disintegrating before them as he flew through the dust and rubble. "Okay. I guess you're not."  
  
Shantar walked up beside him. "We have no way of knowing who is friend or foe out there," he commented as Talyn banked to the right. "How are we going to know which of those ships are Crais and the others?"  
  
Crichton turned a blue-eyed stare on the ex-Peacekeeper. "Beats me. Hopefully Talyn can figure that one out. There's not a whole hell of a lot I can do. Talyn's pretty much doing whatever he wants."  
  
Shantar eye's rose. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"  
  
The communications board sprang to life. "Crichton, you got a copy?"  
  
Crichton's hand slapped the board. "Morgan! Where are you guys?"  
  
"We're heading away from the planet with about ten Prowlers on our tails. A little help here would be nice!"  
  
Crichton didn't have to say anything as Talyn chirped wildly, pulling away from the planet and the strafing run he had been enjoying. He locked on to Morgan's signal and took off, flying at top speed to intercept them before the Prowlers could pick them off.  
  
  
  
Aeryn banked the Prowler, cursing under her breath. She couldn't shake her pursuer. "Morgan! Get this frelling idiot off my tail!" She clenched her teeth as she sent the Prowler into a roll, Tauvo gripping the back of her flight seat.  
  
"I'm on him!" Morgan pushed the throttle forward, throwing both Crais and herself backwards. As soon the oculars lined up the shot, Morgan fired, blasting through the glowing remains of the ship.  
  
All around them, skirmishes took place as the resistance fleet engaged the Peacekeeper carriers that circled the planet. Many of the smaller ships had already moved away, heading towards the edge of the system, the resistance carriers slowly following them, leaving the Peacekeepers disabled and in ruins.  
  
Aeryn felt the tug of a docking web and she checked her scanners, breathing a sigh of relief as Talyn swooped in. She shut down the systems, allowing the Leviathan to bring her in.  
  
Morgan banked her Prowler as the weapons lock alarm sounded.  
  
"Head for the cutter," Crais commanded, pointing past her head to a small Peacekeeper cutter that was burning out of control.  
  
She dodged the shots, the small fighter shaking as one hit its mark. The stick went dead in her hands. "Uh oh."  
  
Crais peered around her. "What?"  
  
"Dead stick! And a boogie on our butt!" she called, the burning cutter getting closer.  
  
The Prowler behind her fired again, the rear stabilizer absorbing the hit. "Defense shields down to 25 percent." Crais cursed under his breath. "Did you initiate a re-start?"  
  
Morgan nodded, trying it again. The Prowler tilted, slowly rolling as its momentum carried it towards the ship. "This is not good!"  
  
The cutter grew in the viewport, the enemy Prowler's weapons fire stopping. The weapons alarm went silent…  
  
The cutter filled the viewport…  
  
Crais laid his hand on her shoulder…  
  
The Prowler began to shudder violently…  
  
"Hey, no Viking funerals!" a voice called.  
  
The Prowler's descent came to an abrupt halt as Talyn's docking web took a hold of the ship. Morgan leaned back, a sigh escaping her lips.  
  
"That was a bit too close," Crais whispered.  
  
Morgan nodded. "I think I'm going to be sick."  
  
  
  
Crais ran through Talyn's corridors, Morgan hot on his heels as they entered the bridge. "Status," he snapped, gazing at Crichton.  
  
"The coordinates from Tauvo's carrier are set, the Peacekeepers are still pursuing us and Scorpius' command group just joined the party," Crichton reported.  
  
Crais nodded. "Talyn, starburst immediately!" he commanded as the gunship rocked.  
  
Tauvo stepped up behind his brother, watching as the viewport before them blurred. "The nebula will hide us until we regroup. Then we have to decide what our next step is," he remarked quietly.  
  
"Where is everyone else?" Shantar asked from his spot at the weapons console, although he suspected he already knew the answer.  
  
Tauvo looked at him. "Dead," he replied. He looked at the others and stalked off the bridge, Shantar behind him.  
  
Crais and Morgan exchanged glances. "I'll…uh…have Talyn prepare you a new transponder. Raseen's men frelled that one up pretty good," she commented, turning back to the system's console.  
  
Crais walked past Crichton, following his brother. He stopped, looking at the human. "Thank you," he simply said as he walked out.  
  
Crichton looked at Morgan then followed Crais, searching for Aeryn, leaving Morgan alone on Talyn's bridge. She sank to her knees, her stomach still queasy, her body aching. The gunship chirped at her. "I'm fine Talyn. Just tired." She nodded at his response and leaned against the console, not wanting to leave the bridge. "Just wake me if you need me."  
  
  
  
Crais found his brother alone in the galley. He walked up next to him, hands clasped behind his back as he stared at the blurred lines of the stars as Talyn traveled to the nebula. He glanced at Tauvo, noticing the lines of tension that wrinkled his brother's face. "You need some rest. We all do."  
  
Tauvo nodded. "I'll rest when the fleet is together." He sighed, hanging his head. "He deserved more than what he got."  
  
Crais laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "They all did." He waited as Tauvo regained his composure. "How many members of the council were involved?"  
  
Tauvo looked at him. "Four. All dead." He moved away, stopping at the table and picking up a piece of fruit. "The…leadership structure of the resistance has been drastically altered." Tauvo turned dark eyes back to his brother, tossing the round fruit up in the air and catching it before biting into it. "You are the head of the resistance now. And I'm your second."  
  
Crais leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed as he stared at Tauvo. "You accept this?" he asked softly.  
  
Tauvo nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"Because you have been leading this fleet. This has been your life since the day I sent you after Moya," Crais answered. He watched his brother finish off the piece of fruit, searching for the right words before answering.  
  
"Bialar, you are a leader. Borin wasn't lying about that. Many of the resistance members look up to you because you had the nimvoks to throw caution to the wind and chase after my 'killer'."  
  
"I went after Crichton out of blind fury and the need for revenge."  
  
Tauvo shrugged. "Whatever the reason, Borin and the other members of the resistance, myself included, believed you would be the best choice to lead us if anything happened." Tauvo stood up and walked over to his brother, leaning one hand on the bulkhead as he stared at Crais. "Are you saying, then, that you won't finish this?"  
  
Crais turned his head and gazed at Tauvo. "On the contrary, brother, I have every intention on seeing this through." He stood up and walked over to a side system console, running his fingers along the edge as he thought. "When the fleet is regrouped, we need to take…stock of our resources. And determine where are weaknesses are."  
  
"You realize we left Peacekeeper High Command in shambles with almost no leadership," Tauvo remarked.  
  
Crais tapped the console, the clamshell before him coming to life. "As of right now, the highest ranking member of the Peacekeepers, not counting Admiral Logia who is currently patrolling the Traki cluster and is out of communication range…" Crais paused,"…is none other than Scorpius."  
  
Tauvo moved closer to his brother. "Well, that puts a whole new twist on the resistance game."  
  
Crais nodded. "I concur." He shut the clamshell down. "As soon as the others have arrived, I want to have a strategy session. We have a lot of work to do."  
  
"And not much time to do it in," Tauvo added as they walked from the galley. "Scorpius is not going to give up."  
  
Crais headed towards the bridge. "No." He stopped, turning to Tauvo. "As long as my wife carries the wormhole formula, unlocked, in her head, she will be in danger. And so will Crichton." He lifted his chin. "Scorpius will not give up until that formula is his and they are dead."  
  
"Then we better get to work," Tauvo answered.  
  
Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter 


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine  
  
Crais couldn't sleep. He stared at the ceiling, his head cradled on one arm, the other wrapped protectively around Morgan. She had done everything in her power to fight the exhaustion that was rapidly overcoming her and when he had found her on the deck of the bridge, one hand still wrapped around her transponder, the other pillowing her cheek, he knew it was time to put his foot down and force her to rest. She moaned softly in her sleep, rolling away to lay on her other side. Crais swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on, tugging his shirt over his head as he left their quarters and headed for Talyn's bridge.  
  
"Status, Talyn," he commanded softly, gazing at the growing resistance fleet as it floated soundlessly in the vast nebula. He only half absorbed the information the gunship fed him, his mind racing at Borin Tadace's last words. Crais was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he suddenly found himself the leader of a resistance movement, a rebellion fighting against the restraints of a doctrine that had been imposed on him and his brother from an early age. He sighed, pacing the bridge.  
  
She carries the future.  
  
Crais stopped pacing as Tadace's words echoed in his mind. He canted his head in thought, his dark eyes narrowing slightly as he reached into the pocket of his pants, his fingers wrapping around the data chip Sulan had handed him.  
  
Make sure no one gets this.  
  
Sulan's voice joined Tadace's in his head and Crais twirled the chip between his fingers, wondering what was on it that was so important. He strode to the system console, slipping the data chip into the slot and watching as the clamshell came to life. The information on the chip was scrambled, as if only part of it was there. Crais opened the comm channel. "Crichton?" he called softly. He waited a moment, giving the human time to wake. "Crichton!" he called more insistently, his voice low so as not to wake Aeryn.  
  
"Yeah, man. What?" Crichton finally answered sleepily.  
  
Crais stroked his goatee, pulling the chip from the console. "Did Dr. Lias give you anything on the planet?"  
  
It took Crichton a few moments to answer. "Uh, yeah, a data chip. Beats the hell out of me what's on it."  
  
Crais turned on one heel, marching from the bridge. "Meet me in the medical bay." He had been there only a few minutes when Crichton staggered in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Crais looked up at him, his hand held out for the data chip.  
  
"What's up?" he asked, slapping the chip into the ex-Peacekeepers hand. Crichton leaned one hip against the console, scrubbing his face. "Where's Morgan?"  
  
"Asleep," Crais answered, studying the two data chips. His brow furrowed in thought as he placed the two chips back to back, snapping them together before sliding them into the medical scanner. The holo-projector on the console came to life, a three-dimensional model of a body displaying before the two men, slowly rotating as information scrolled by next to it.  
  
Suddenly wide awake, Crichton turned and propped his hands on the console across from Crais, the image between them. "Crais, what the frell is this?"  
  
Crais shook his head as he studied the information. "I…believe it is a medical representation of…" he paused, his eyes meeting Crichton's through the hologram, "…your cousin."  
  
Crichton chewed his thumb as he scanned some of the information. "Lias must have collected this when she was fixing up Morgan."  
  
Crais' fingers flew over the console, the image between them splitting. He scratched his neck. "Sulan and Tadace had her do an entire workup on your physiology." He pointed to the second image, rotating in conjunction with the first. "This one is the typical model of a Sebacean."  
  
Both men stared in amazement at the images. They knew their species were close, but neither of them were prepared for how close. Crichton whistled as he walked around the console to stand next to Crais. Something caught his eye and he pointed. "What is that?"  
  
"What?" Crais looked up to where the human was pointing. He adjusted the image, going back through the information that was scrolling by. He stopped it, reading it again. "She carries the future," he whispered, his eyes returning to the image as he leaned forward.  
  
"Who carries the future? Crais what are you talking about?" Crichton asked in confusion, staring at the other man.  
  
Crais pushed himself away from the console, and began to pace the medical bay, rubbing his temple with one hand, the other clenched in a fist at the small of his back. He stopped, his back to Crichton, hiding the look of shock on his face. "When…we were escaping…as Borin died in Tauvo's arms…he told me to protect you and Morgan." He turned his head slightly towards Crichton. "Especially Morgan." Crais clasped both hands behind his back as he turned to look at his former nemesis. "Tadace told me that she…carries the future." Crais swallowed, trying to retain his composure while his emotions warred inside of him.  
  
Crichton leaned on the console, his arms crossed. "'Carries the future?' What kind of cryptic…" He stopped, looking at the model, then at Crais. He stood up, pointing to the hologram. "Are you saying she's…she's…"  
  
"With child," Crais finished calmly.  
  
Crichton's mouth dropped open. "You got my cousin knocked up?" Crais simply stared at him, his eyebrows raised. "How far along is she?" he sputtered.  
  
Crais moved over to the console, tapping it. "Approximately two and one half monens along."  
  
"Which means she was already pregnant when you two tied the knot," Crichton remarked. He shook his head, taking up where Crais left off in the pacing department, running his fingers through his hair. "I don't get it. The doctor's on Earth were so sure that she could never have children."  
  
Crais crossed his arms as he leaned one hip on a medical bed. "Crichton, what is the normal gestation period for a human female?" he asked quietly. He knew that humans and Sebaceans could have children together, but Crais' main concern was how it was going to physically affect Morgan.  
  
"Nine monens. Well, actually, forty weekens." Crichton hopped up on the medical table next to Crais, swinging his feet back and forth, his mind going to his sister's own pregnancies. "Hey Crais, with everything that been going on, have you noticed Morgan acting differently?" Crichton looked at him.  
  
Crais considered the question. "Nausea. And she has been excessively tired lately." He smiled slightly. "And a few other things."  
  
Crichton sighed, nodding knowingly. "And it's probably the last thing she would ever attribute it to." He looked at the image still turning silently before them. "I bet she has no idea."  
  
"I would agree. Morgan would have said something." The two men looked at each other. "I will tell her."  
  
Crichton hopped off the table. "You realize she's not going to believe you," he remarked, smiling smugly as he walked out of the medical bay.  
  
Crais nodded, his eyes going back to the model. Talyn chirped at him. "I will find a way to tell her," he assured the excited gunship. Crais smiled, chuckling softly. "It will be interesting indeed."  
  
  
  
Morgan slowly moved through Talyn, her feet bare on the steelskin deck as she wandered through the quiet gunship. Something was bothering Crais and for two solar days he brushed off her questions, keeping himself locked away with Tauvo and the other leaders of the resistance. He knew her opinions and they discussed all the options and Crais left her to rest. But she couldn't. She didn't feel like herself and she needed some time to think, leaving him asleep in their quarters as she paced the ship.  
  
She walked to the end of the corridor, the door sliding silently open as she stepped through into Talyn's gallery. It was still small, compared to Moya's, the top gun turret visible above her. Morgan moved to the viewport, gazing at the shifting colors of the nebula they hid in. She sank to the deck, crossed her legs and just watched the nebula in fascination.  
  
Talyn softly chirped at her, breaking her reverie, asking her what was wrong with Crais.  
  
"I have no idea, Talyn. He won't tell me," she answered with a tired sigh. Morgan tilted her head when he chirped again. "Sure. What do you want me to see?"  
  
Talyn made sure Crais was still asleep, blocking the transmission from him. He waited until Morgan was ready and opened the feed to her and her alone.  
  
Morgan closed her eyes, her hands wrapped around the transponder, fighting off the brief wave of nausea that suddenly came up. She watched as Talyn shifted his image to that of her and Crais' quarters, unsure at first what the gunship was showing her. When she realized she was watching something Talyn had observed, she concentrated even harder, one hand going to her mouth as it opened.  
  
Before her, in her minds eye, she could see Crais, haggard and worn, a bottle of raslak in one hand, the bracelet from her shelf in the other. He sat at his desk, his eyes closed, tears sliding down his cheeks until he finally broke down, the bottle bursting in his hand as he fell to his knees. Why Morgan? Damn you why? Why did you have to lag behind? How can you do this to me? He tore through the room like a madman. I need you and now you're gone!  
  
"Talyn, stop, please," she sobbed, cutting the feed.  
  
The gunship continued, despite her pleas, showing her her own cousin facing Crais, never backing down, pushing the Sebacean. And Talyn showed her the acceptance of the alliance that Crichton and Crais tried so hard to deny for the last few cycles.  
  
You needed to know how he felt when he thought you were dead. He wouldn't even talk to me, Talyn said softly in her mind, his voice musical as he vocalized his thoughts to Morgan for the first time. And…Crichton actually helped.  
  
Morgan's shoulders shook as she cried, laying her head in her hands. "Thank you," she whispered. She had never doubted Crais' feelings, but to see his grief, his pain…it tore a deep hole in her heart. Morgan wiped her eyes, standing up. She turned and stopped, staring at Crais who stood silently in the room.  
  
"What did he show you?" he asked softly. Talyn chirped nervously and Crais smiled, looking away briefly. "No Talyn. You are not in trouble."  
  
Morgan wiped her nose with the back of her hand as Crais approached her. "He…um…showed me what happened after you escaped the base," she whispered. "Oh, god, Bialar. I'm so sorry. Why didn't you…I…"  
  
Crais laid his fingers on her lips. "That is how much you mean to me, Morgan. I…find that I lack the…capability of expressing those feelings and it frustrates me."  
  
Morgan gazed up at him, her eyes red. She didn't know what to say. She had watched him change in the time she had been there. The Peacekeeper he had once been was gone unless it was absolutely needed, a more refined man in its place. She licked her lips. "You express them fine, Bialar," she responded, moving into his arms.  
  
Crais shook his head. "No, Morgan, I do not. And I do not tell you how much I love you enough," he answered. His lips met hers as he pulled her closer, drawing her to the deck with him as he sank to his knees, pulling her into his arms tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist as his tongue danced with hers, her body fitted perfectly to his. "I can not bear the thought of losing you," he whispered, simply holding her, his face buried in the crook of her neck, breathing in her soft scent. "Especially not now."  
  
Morgan leaned back, tucking her finger under his chin and making him look up at her. "Crais, what is going on?" she asked quietly, her stomach in knots.  
  
His brown eyes met hers and he released her for a moment, waiting until she settled on the deck next to him. He pulled a small holo- projector from the pocket of his pants, running his thumb along the side, waiting as it flared to life. A small medical model appeared, slowly turning. "Sulan and Dr. Lias discovered this. I was waiting for you to tell me."  
  
Morgan watched the little projection turn before her. "Tell you what?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.  
  
"Crichton and I put the medical information Dr. Lias gathered on you together. This representation is of you." He waited, placing the holo- projector on the deck.  
  
"And?" Morgan said. "Bialar what are you talking about?"  
  
It dawned on Crais that Morgan did not know. "They didn't tell you?"  
  
"Tell me what?" she asked exasperated, throwing her hands up in frustration.  
  
Crais stroked his goatee, watching the image turn before looking back at his wife. "Morgan, you are pregnant."  
  
Morgan stared at him. "Bialar, what sort of sick, twisted joke is this?" she whispered angrily.  
  
Crais pulled one knee up and rubbed his eyes, leaning his elbow on his leg. "Crichton said you wouldn't believe it."  
  
Morgan stood up and moved towards the viewport. "I can't have kids Crais. End of sentence. Not possible."  
  
Crais stood up, grabbing the projector and changing the image. He marched over to her, grabbing her arm and turning her around, thrusting the device in her face. "Look at this," he hissed. "And don't tell me you cannot read Sebacean for I know better."  
  
"Crais," she started.  
  
"READ IT!"  
  
Morgan read the information on the small image, her face going pale. She looked away, the fear and elation of being pregnant warring within her. "How?" she finally managed to choke out.  
  
Crais pocketed the projector, a smug smile pulling at his lips. "I would have thought you knew how," he teased softly.  
  
Morgan punched his shoulder. "I know how, I…oh never mind," she finally whispered. A tear slipped down her cheek and she turned away, wrapping her arms around her.  
  
Crais stepped up behind her, wrapping his own arms around her, clasping her hands in his. "I would have thought you would be happy," he whispered, tilting his head to peer down at her.  
  
"I am, but…" She shook her head, smiling sadly. "The timing is not exactly the best, is it?"  
  
Crais kissed her head gently. "Morgan, there is nothing we can do about this."  
  
She turned in his arms, gazing up at him. "No, but I don't want to raise our child alone, either."  
  
Crais' eyebrows drew down and he turned her completely around to face him. "What…are you saying?"  
  
Morgan sighed, looking away. "You're the leader of the resistance now, Bialar. What if something…"  
  
Crais took her chin in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as he made her look at him. "Then you will be taken care of. And you know how to return to Earth if you so choose."  
  
"No. I'm never going back to Earth." Morgan moved away from him, her emotions battling for position. "Promise me something," she whispered.  
  
"Anything Morgan."  
  
She looked at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Promise me that we will raise this child with love and patience and…" She swallowed past the lump in her throat, her blue eyes pleading with him. "…and that no one will take our child away from us."  
  
Crais nodded, cupping her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. He stepped back from her, reaching under his shirt to pull loose the chain with her wedding band and Celtic knot. Carefully, Crais removed the ring from the chain and slipped it on Morgan's finger. "I promise."  
  
  
  
Crichton found Morgan standing at the system's console the next afternoon, her head tilted as she listened to Talyn. He gazed at her, trying to see any telltale signs of her condition. Crichton crossed his arms as he leaned in the bridge's doorway. "Hey cous," he said softly.  
  
Morgan turned and looked at him, smiling. "Hey." She walked over to him and hugged him. "Thank you."  
  
Crichton looked down at her. "For what?"  
  
"Coming after us."  
  
Crichton snorted softly. "As if I wouldn't."  
  
Morgan ran her fingers through her hair, chuckling. "For talking some sense into Crais."  
  
"He tell you?"  
  
"No." She tapped the transponder at the back of her neck. "Talyn did. Surprisingly enough, Talyn actually gave you credit."  
  
Crichton's eyes grew round. "Wow. And here I thought he hated me."  
  
Morgan returned to the console. "He does." She peered over her shoulder and saw the crestfallen look on Crichton's face. "I'm just teasing John."  
  
"You're bad." He walked over to stand next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Morgan nodded, her hands tapping the console as she ran through a system's test. "Alright as long as eat something whenever I get queasy. At least I know why now." She stopped, looking up at her cousin. "Who would have thought…"  
  
"Yeah. I know," he interrupted.  
  
Morgan swallowed, finding that she was having a problem talking with Crichton. "John, could you do me a favor?" she asked blushing.  
  
"Name it Morgan."  
  
Morgan licked her lips and gazed at him. "Could you please convince Crais that I'm not a china doll and I can still perform my duties on this ship?"  
  
Crichton laughed. "I'll see what I can do."  
  
Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter 


	11. Epilogue

EPILOGUE  
  
Tauvo stared at the view screen, his arms clasped behind his back as he watched Talyn starburst from the nebula. He knew they would rejoin at Zorosa 3 before Morgan gave birth, but he still couldn't dispel the gnawing in his gut. Crais, Morgan, Crichton and Aeryn were going to find Moya and bring the others back to the planet with them, hoping to convince them to join the fight. Tauvo wondered if it was a moot point.  
  
It was wise to lay low for a while, the remnants of the Peacekeepers frantically searching for them under Scorpius' command. He looked at Shantar standing to his right as the carrier and the fleet began it's own journey back to Zorosa 3. "What?" Tauvo finally snapped. He knew the look on Shantar's face only too well.  
  
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Shantar simply commented.  
  
Tauvo turned and stalked off the bridge, Shantar right behind him. "Bialar has enough to worry about without that on his mind as well. Hopefully, by the time they arrive, Mother and Father will have him somewhat…settled."  
  
"And I bet you didn't tell him your parents would be on Zorosa 3, either," he accused, Tauvo's back stiffening at his words. Shantar grabbed Tauvo's arm, spinning him around. "Tauvo, Terrick is your nephew. He is your brother's son in every aspect of the word. He hates Bialar and he has never even met him, no matter what Sulan told him. You should have warned Crais before they left."  
  
Tauvo stared at Shantar. "Morgan is going to keep him busy. Terrick's existence is just another added distraction that he does not need. I know what I am doing and I'll handle Bialar." He headed back up the corridor, leaving Shantar watching him.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered to Tauvo's back.  
  
  
  
Peacekeeper High Command was in ruin. The council was gone, the fleet spread out across the territories in disarray, the captains and officers each vying for control over the others. Scorpius picked his way through the capital city, Braca behind him, his fury barely contained. "It is amazing how a handful of fugitives and two humans can cause this much chaos," he commented, stepping over the rotting corpse of a dead Peacekeeper.  
  
Braca's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Yes sir."  
  
Scorpius tilted his head, holding his hand up, listening. He climbed the rubble that was once the majestic council building, glass crunching under his boots as he made his way towards the sound. The Peacekeeper scientist bent down, motioning for two of the guards accompanying him to quickly and carefully sift through the debris.  
  
"By Cholak, that's…" Braca started as the body was uncovered.  
  
"Captain Jira Raseen," Scorpius finished.  
  
The Captain looked up at him, her eyes squinting in the pale light, her face flushed with pain and fever. "Sir," she whispered.  
  
"Captain Raseen, where is John Crichton and Morgan Langtree?" Scorpius simply asked.  
  
Raseen swallowed hard. She lay in an awkward position, her back and legs broken, barely alive. "Escaped sir. They…had…inside help."  
  
Scorpius nodded. "And the resistance members?"  
  
"With…them." Her eyes focused on the Scarren half-breed. "I regret…not…fulfilling my…duty sir." She inhaled sharply as Scorpius motioned to two medical orderlies. "I…would have…enjoyed…seeing her…die in the…Aurora chair."  
  
Scorpius exchanged a glance with Braca. "You still will, Captain. You still will."  
  
(…and the adventure continues…) 


End file.
